All In
by thebluecray0n
Summary: In a world where The Third War is coming, Rose works as a spy for the Order. Her job is to watch Scorpius Malfoy and find an ancient mirror that will end the war. But nothing is ever that simple.
1. Already Over

Chapter One: Already Over

It all came down to right now.

All Rose could hear were screams. She didn't know if any were her own, but she couldn't stop to find out. She was running. She was running so fast, she didn't even know it was possible. She knew that it all rested on her. She had to reach _him_. She had to kill him. She had gotten herself into this when she agreed to help Uncle Harry and the Order.

Now she had to finish it.

"Rose!" She didn't understand how she could hear his voice in all the chaos. But Rose knew why she could. She could hear anything that had to do with Scorpius Malfoy. It didn't even matter that they were fighting on different sides. She could tell whenever he was near. Her heart would just instinctively pound and her palms would sweat and there would be a very distinctive throb in her neck at the thought of him.

She wanted to stop running. In fact, she wanted to turn and run straight into his strong, caring arms.

But she kept running.

She was fighting for Uncle Harry and the Order. She had to win. She had to save her brother, her family, friends, and the millions of other people that would suffer if they lost.

_"Rose!" _She heard it again, louder this time. Strained. For a second, she was scared he might reach her. Stop her. Hold her. She wished she could run faster, but a part of her hoped he would stop her. Then it wouldn't be her fault she was stopped. It would be his. He would have stopped her and no one could say that she didn't care, because she had tried but failed.

But she wouldn't do that to her family and the millions of other people depending on her.

She quickly ducked in between fighters, her mind intent on reaching her destination. She would not lose. He would not stop her. Scorpius Malfoy was not on her side. He was a Malfoy, a Slytherin, and a Death Eater, just like his father.

And okay, she might have been a Slytherin also, but she was not like him. She would never be.

A new voice called her name. She saw James, he was fighting off Bellatrix Lestrange. For an old lady, she still had _plenty_ of fight left in her. Her horrible cackle rang out as she watched James deflect her spell. Why couldn't that woman stay dead?

James was getting farther away as she ran, but she was able to make out his words through it all, "Keep going!"

She did. She knew what she had to do.

The grounds of Hogwarts were still slick with the rain from this afternoon. It was hard to not slip, but she was determined to make it. Uncle Harry had told her his plan was to hold Hogwarts and the Ministry. She remembered the day he told her not to worry about the Ministry. He assured her that her only job was to keep him in the loop about Hogwarts. He was confident they'd be okay. After all, McGonagall was the Headmistress and Neville Longbottom was an Order Member, as well as a teacher. They had plenty of people on the inside with her.

_Yeah, well_, Rose thought bitterly, seeing the wreckage all around her, _that worked out well_.

Maybe it was because she was such a bad spy. She didn't know how that could have been true, seeing as she was a Slytherin, after all. Maybe the Sorting Hat made a mistake. It would make sense, seeing as everyone in her family had always been in Gryffindor. She was the black sheep in Slytherin.

She remembered in fourth year, when she had asked the Sorting Hat why he put her where he did. She remembered what he told her. She had been a challenge to place. She remembered how the hat had spat the line at her, full of disdain. Like she could control that! She didn't apologize, instead she snapped at him, and the hat chuckled, telling her that she had answered her own question. And then he told her more things.

Her memories were abruptly cut off when she stopped short and began falling to the ground. Someone had tackled her. But not just anyone, someone that made her heart pound and her knees shake. Someone that she was supposed to keep an eye on but failed miserably.

"Rose," He said her name in her ear. She squirmed underneath him, trying to get free. It was hard to breath under him, trapped between him and the earth. The grass was wet, she wasn't sure if it was dew or blood. She was hoping for dew.

"Get off," She coughed, still fighting beneath him. She wanted to believe he was trying to save her, tell her to leave, it wasn't safe here. But she knew he wasn't. He was loyal to his family and the other Death Eaters. He had a Mark. He had an agenda and stopping her was part of it. He was delaying her. Stopping her from reaching the charred ashes of his Lord.

"You know I have to stop you," He said, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"I can't let you do that," She uttered, kicking beneath him. She had an idea of how she could fool him, but she knew it would only hurt her heart if she did.

His body was so firm, so strong on top of her petite one. She wished she payed more attention when James, Albus, and Hugo would play football over the summer. They'd tackle each other all the time. But somehow they always got free. How did they do it?

"You're going to lose," Scorpius said, his voice slicing her heart. He was on the other side. She'd known it all along. But actually seeing him helping them, trying to stop her... it was to much. She briefly wondered if he'd killed anyone she loved. Anyone in the Order. Anyone that was on the _good_ side. The side of love and tolerance. The side of basic human rights.

She remembered the first time she saw his Mark. It was the spring, around the time when everyone was trading their heavy cloaks for lighter ones and short sleeve shirts for their long ones. He never did. But one night... they'd let their attraction for each other get too far. And there it was. It was bizarre and scary and heartbreaking. A dark, physical reminder of the awful cause he'd sworn his life too.

She remembered nearly fainting and backing away from his touch. And then he ran out. And she collapsed to the ground and cried.

Now, as she squirmed like a fish out of water underneath him, she imagined the Mark. It was seared on the inside of his right wrist. His right hand was wrapped around her waist. She felt sick imagining it pushed up against her stomach. She didn't want something that hideous anywhere near her. But it didn't matter, the Mark was blazing up in the sky. A Death Eater sent it up as soon as they attacked the school.

How was she going to get away? As the moon rose higher, time was ticking away. The moon would reach it's full height soon. If she calculated right, she only had fifteen minutes until they could begin the ritual and then the most awful, evil man to walk the earth would be back. Uncle Harry was counting on her. So was the rest of the world! She needed to get free.

Her wand, thankfully, didn't fly out of her hand when he jumped her. She had quickly readjusted herself so that it wouldn't snap when she hit the ground and was resting safely against her side. _Silent spells_, she thought quickly, going over all the ones she knew in her head.

She didn't want to use _Petrificus Totalus _because then he'd be defenseless. _Stupefy_, either. _Expelliarmus_ wouldn't do much good in this situation. _Confundus_ might work. It would make him a target, but it was better than freezing him. She shut her eyes and concentrated. It was hard, taking a couple tries since her heart wasn't completely in it. But once it worked she felt his body pressure ease up on her a little.

"Why are we on the ground?"

She took the one second advantage she had and shoved him in the ribs as hard as she could before scrambling up and running. She didn't look back to see if he was following her. She hoped he wasn't.

_Merlin,_ she pleaded, _please don't let anything happen to him while he's Confunded._

And then there it was. She had reached the doors. With a jolt she realized that she had never truly expected to make it this far. But she had. She saw that there were two Death Eaters standing guard, protecting their master and whoever was inside with his ashes to perform the ritual. They were both tall and had their hoods pulled up. It was hard to make out their features, but Rose could tell they wouldn't hesitate to _Avada Kedavra _her as soon as they saw her.

This would have been much easier if she had Uncle Harry's invisibility cloak. He had given it to her, so technically it was hers. She knew he expected it back at some point, probably so he could pass it down to one of his kids. But for the time being, it was in her possession. Except it was now upstairs, in her room, hiding under her bed.

It would have also been nice if she could just Apparate in. Ducking behind a tree, she exhaled and leaned her body against the trunk. A plan. She needed a plan. What was it Uncle Harry had told her to do? _If you can find the mirror, you'll be fine._ What mirror? After all this time, she still hadn't figured it out. Well, she didn't have any bloody mirror. She had to come up with a new plan of her own.

Peeking her head out, she held out her wand and whispered two quick _Stupefies _and watched both men drop effortlessly. She sprinted off and found herself in the Great Hall. And then she saw the scene in front of her.

All the tables were gone. There was shattered glass on the floor. In the center of the room was an urn, with what Rose decided to be Lord Voldemort's ashes. Standing around it in a circle were six Death Eaters, in their long black robes, hoods over their heads. They were standing in parade rest, with their hands clasped in front of them and their heads bowed.

Then she heard the chanting.

_"Cinis pellis, morte in vitam, cinis pellis, morte in vitam," _ Their voices were soft but steady. They pronounced the Latin beautifully but also scarily. Rose had no idea what they were saying, but she knew that the ritual hadn't begun yet. She knew the moon was still too low, as she could see from the clear ceiling of the Great Hall. Over and over, they recited the same two lines.

Once again, Rose needed another plan. She had gotten this far. There were six Death Eaters and one urn of ashes. One her. Where was Uncle Harry when you needed him? Wasn't he the Boy Wonder? Rather, the Boy Who Lived. Why was he making her do this? What good did doing this do for her? Nothing, that's what. It would probably only get her killed.

_But_, the other voice in her head chimed in, _you're doing this for the good of everyone else. Not you._

Yeah. Which made no sense. Slytherins don't do crap like that. Slytherins are self absorbed, self calculating, self something brats! She really was the strangest Slytherin ever. First off, she was a Half Blood. There was nothing stranger than that, other than a Muggle born, although they did exist. Maybe she was half Slytherin and half Gryffindor, because only a Gryffindor would willingly charge into a room full of crazy Slytherins trying to resurrect their even more psycho master.

_Plan, plan, plan!_ For a second she wished she could be like James, or some other Gryffindor. He would have charged in here and started basting the first spell that came to his mind. But not her. She was a Slytherin.

The best thing she could come up with was find five other people to join her side. Then each one of them could aim for one person. But she did not have five people at her disposal. All she had was herself and her resourcefulness. Sure, she had plenty of that.

She could- that was stupid. So stupid it actually might work. She looked at the tables staked against the wall and then back at her targets. It was worth a shot.

"_Accio table,_" She whispered. She controlled her wand and sent the table barreling towards the Death Eater circle of quiet, creepy chanting. Of course one of them eventually noticed, but by then it was too late to do much. The table collided with a sickening crack and Rose quickly sent another table before running forward and throwing spells at whoever was attempting to stand.

She needed the urn. She had to do whatever it took to get it.

She didn't know which one it was, but one of the Death Eaters was now standing up. She knew it was a he by the deepness of his voice when he attempted to _Avada Kedavra _her. She ducked, jumping to one side. She scrambled up as her attacker attempted again. She shot the spell back, but missed as he jumped too. She didn't want to go back and forth, each trying to kill the other. She didn't have the time. The moon was getting higher and the other Death Eaters were coming too.

After a few more attempts, she hit him with a _Stupefy_. Then she turned around and saw two other Death Eaters coming at her.

But she also saw something else. Someone had moved the urn. It was no longer in the middle of the Hall, surrounded by Death Eaters. Now some of the Death Eaters were lying like pick up sticks on the floor, while the others were advancing on her.

She counted. Two were coming at her. She had knocked out one. Two on the ground. There had been six when she came in. One had taken the urn. None of the other Death Eaters seemed to notice this. Was it a plan? Their emergency one, in case someone from the Order got in? Or was there a mole on their side?

If the urn was no longer here, she had no reason to be. _Time to go,_ she decided. First she'd have to take out the two coming for her.

_"Crucio!"_ The taller one shouted, lunging forward. She jumped back and the spell missed. Rose summoned Blueball Flames, a skill her mother passed onto her. A ball of blue flames shot out from her wand, momentarily off putting her attackers, as it should have. She shot the flames at them. The Death Eaters tried an _Aguamenti_. Rose smiled, the flames were composed from neither fuel or oxygen, making them waterproof. Looks like someone didn't pay much attention in Charms class.

Of course the flames didn't burn. It took the Death Eaters a few beautiful, crucial, seconds to realize this. But by then it was too late. Rose shouted the spell as loud as she could, "_Avada Kedarva!"_ The green spark shot from her wand with such power that it knocked her back several feet. Green met the blue of the Death Eaters and soon neither were upright.

The other two were still on the ground. She could leave them. She was about to, until she heard a groan from across the room. Her first attacker. He must have been coming too. Rose turned slowly, and saw that she was right. He didn't look happy and instantly Rose knew that his first spell would be to kill her, not unlike the first time they dueled.

In a second she realized how much of a hypocrite she was. She'd already killed two Death Eaters, not counting the numerous ones from the battle outside (which she could hear in full force from inside) and here was another one she was currently locked in battle with. And she had been hoping that Scorpius hadn't killed anyone _she_ knew or loved. Well, he could have loved or knew any of these people, and now they were lying dead at her feet.

The Death Eater growled. Literally _growled._ Her skin tingled. She remembered the last war. Her Uncle Bill had become a werewolf in it because the Death Eaters had this awful werewolf on their side who wanted to mutilate everyone. Something Greyback, she remembered. Did they have another blood thirsty creep? Merlin, she was the worst spy ever!

Why hadn't she been able to see through Scorpius Malfoy sooner? Why had she not found out about the ritual sooner? Or that damn mirror? Harry had told her that it would stop all of this. And what had she done? Nothing. Nothing at all.

And now the ashes were gone.

She had become so distracted by her thinking that she didn't notice the Death Eater changing up his game plan. It was only when he tackled her and was lying on top of her did she realize the deep shit she was in. She felt his wand pressing into her stomach and his strong hands squeezing her sides painfully.

She wouldn't whimper. Not in this position. It was to scary.

She squirmed, although it was different now. When Scorpius was on top of her, she never felt threatened. No matter what her mind told her, her heart always said he'd never hurt her. But this guy? Her alarm bells were full on ringing.

She didn't listen to the vile thing he said, instead she tried to angle her wand to his body that way she could get him off. But this guy was big and strong. Where Scorpius had been tall and lean, but also muscular, this guy was just big.

She didn't know how it happened, but she dislodged her leg and kicked him between his legs before _Avada Kedarva_ came slipping out of her mouth. She didn't care if Scorpius loved or knew him. This guy was going to try to rape her.

She turned around, ready to run the hell out and never look back. But there was one small problem.

The exit was blocked.

Scorpius Malfoy was standing in front of her, most definitely not _Confunded_ anymore.

_ Reaching as I fall  
><em>_I know it's already over now  
><em>_Nothing left to lose  
><em>_Loving you again  
><em>Already Over, Red

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everyone! I've been working on this story for a _veeery_ long time. Like... a year. So to be finally posting it is just crazy! I really hope you'll like it and such. So please leave me a reviewwwww. :) CHEERS**


	2. Get Back to Hogwarts

Chapter Two: Get Back to Hogwarts

_January 29_

Harry Potter was not happy.

He was standing at the foot of the table in the kitchen of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, a place that brought back so many memories. Many more, since he was about to do something very important that hadn't been done in years.

An Order of the Phoenix meeting.

Well, that was untrue. There had been meetings for the past few months. But tonight, his kids were in the room. As were Ron and Hermione's. It reminded him of the few times he had been to one. Certain people had been reluctant to expose him to all the information because was he a child. But he was going to do things differently.

He also needed their help.

James Sirius, Albus Severus, Lily Luna, Hugo, and Rose were all present, sitting around the table, talking absentmindedly. They had no idea what was going on. They didn't know anything. They were blissfully ignorant of everything happening around them. But that was all about to change in a moment.

"You ready, mate?" Ron asked, sneaking up behind him.

Harry cleared his throat and nodded. He looked at who else was in the room. He saw his wife, Ginny, and Hermione sitting over by the window. They were sitting up straight, looking tense. He saw Teddy sitting next to Hugo, playing cards. His old friends, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Luna, Wood, Fleur, Bill, George, Charlie, and their kids. Minus Charlie, whose children were dragons.

"Most of you know why we're here," He said began, and then he looked at his kids. "And some of you are about to find out."

It was strange, he'd been leading Order meetings for months now. And he led plenty of meetings at the Ministry where he worked as an Auror. But there was something different about this, bittersweet. He used to be sitting in the chair, looking at Sirius or Moody, who were speaking so confidently... so passionately about the cause.

"There have been whispers in the dark. Signs... something is stirring. It's beginning the way the last two did. Disappearances."

* * *

><p><em>She had been walking for hours when the alarm bells went off in her head. She stopped walking, looked around. This wasn't England. How had she gotten to this open field? She had left the Ministry for her lunch break and was walking to the Elephant House for a quick sandwich. <em>

Keep walking_, something in her mind said. The voice wasn't hers. She tried to fight against it, but she wasn't strong enough. She kept walking, falling back into the trance. The grass became thicker the farther she went and the air changed as the sun set. _

_When it was dark, a hooded figure blocked her path. She was still in a trance, and smiled happily at the person. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was fighting to be free. She remembered something about fighting off Imperios, but nothing made sense. _

_A cold hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. Brutal pain seared her arm and she groaned, collapsing to her knees as she was blinded by the pain._

_She opened her mouth to say something, but only gasped. The hooded figure's head moved down to her ear and hissed, "I want a lissst of all the Aurorssss and their familiessss,"_

* * *

><p>Rose didn't know what Uncle Harry was talking about. Disappearances? She heard James saying something about the Ministry administering warnings to people if that was true. She heard Lily firing back with something about not wanting to cause a mass panic, but all Rose wanted to do was hear more.<p>

"Would you two shut it?" She asked, not even sparing a look at them.

"Touchy," James muttered.

Rose ignored him and listened to Uncle Harry. She remembered the other two wars. She hadn't been around for either of them, but she knew that her parents had been greatly involved in the second war and that her dad's family had been involved in the first war. Was Uncle Harry saying that a third war might be coming?

"We don't know what exactly it is." He said, "It could be surviving Death Eaters who want to reclaim what they believe to be theirs or it might be a new extremist group. Whatever the case, muggles are being murdered and Ministry members are disappearing."

He paused and Rose's head swirled. She wanted to know more. She wanted to know who was behind whatever was going on. She instinctively moved forward.

"But I'm going to need your help." Harry said, looking at Rose. "During the last war, the Order was virtually alone. Hogwarts and the Ministry fell. This time, we're going to hold both."

_So he does have a plan, _Rose mused.

"And how do you bloody plan to do that?" James asked, eyeing his father critically.

"Leave the Ministry to us. But Rose, I'm going to need your help holding Hogwarts." Rose smiled, she liked this idea.

"Why her?" James asked loudly, "I'm just as good a sneak, even though I'm not in Slytherin-"

"That's precisely why I need her help." Harry cut in. He turned to Rose, "I need you to keep an eye on them and see who is on the inside, see if their using anyone as a spy."

"Anyone in particular? There are a lot of Slytherins." She drawled.

Harry nodded, his face grim. "The Malfoys were the headquarters in the last war. I don't know if they've changed at all-"

Ron scoffed, momentarily cutting Harry off. Rose rolled her eyes, partly at her dad and partly at the idea of the Malfoys. Yes, she knew Scorpius Malfoy. He was in her year and it was like he was determined to be the biggest git in the entire world. He wasn't all bad, all the time, though. She knew where her dad stood on the issue, since he was convinced the apple didn't fall very far from the tree. Her hand tapped the table in front of her, "I can do that."

"Good," Harry smiled.

_February 1_

Kings Cross Station was full of young witches and wizards. Everyone was heading back to school after a long Christmas break. She happily bid goodbye to her parents and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny before climbing aboard the train with her brother and the rest of the Potters and Teddy in tow.

Once the train left the station, Rose quickly changed into her green and silver Slytherin robes, her prefects' badge gleaming. Then she returned to their compartment and played a game of Exploding Snaps with James and Albus. Hugo was talking with Lily about their upcoming O.W.L.S and Teddy had left in search of Victoire.

"The O.W.L.S are not that bad," Rose cut in, seeing how nervous Lily and her brother were. She and Albus had taken them last year and James the year before that.

"Not all of us are as naturally smart as you," Lily whined, "Will you help me, Rose? I have no idea how I'm going to get through Charms."

Rose shrugged, she didn't particularly want to help anyone. It had nothing to do with Lily. She hoped this shrug would be enough to satisfy Lily, but also enough to make her forget about it. Eventually she did and the two of them changed the topic to something else.

"Hey Rose, you guys gonna win the House Cup this year?" James joked, winking at her.

Rose faked a smile and laughed with them. She was always teased for being in Slytherin. She had hoped that when Hugo and Lily came to Hogwarts one of them would also be sorted into Slytherin, that way she'd have someone with her and wouldn't be the only one made fun of. But no such luck. Everyone was in Gryffindor and she wasn't. She had broken the Weasley tradition set by many generations.

Even worse, Gryffindor had won the House Cup in a row for years. Slytherin always came in second, and Rose was the one who had to endure all the teasing.

But there was one thing Slytherin had that Gryffindor didn't. And Rose used it to her advantage. "Hey, James, Gryffindor gonna win the Quidditch Cup?"

The laughter died down and James was glaring at Rose. James had been made captain of the Gryffindor team this year, and prior to that he played Chaser. But no matter how good James was, Gryffindor had constantly been bested by Slytherin. Scorpius Malfoy had made it onto the team his second year at Hogwarts based purely on skill. He was also a Chaser and had a near perfect record. Together, he and the Slytherins made an unstoppable team.

Needless to say, the Potters and Hugo weren't Scorpius' biggest fan. Rose wasn't either, but she disliked him less than the others.

* * *

><p>There was a line to get in the Common Room.<p>

"What the-" Rose stopped short. She rolled her eyes and walked along the line. She knew what this was about. Her fellow prefect, Orion, had the privilege of escorting the first years to the Common Room. Rose had hung around in the Great Hall with James and everyone else for a little longer before deciding to retire to her room.

"Rose, you don't want to go in there." Orion said as she walked passed him. She rolled her eyes and barged into the room. There was Scorpius Malfoy, standing in the center of the room, bossing some house elves around. She watched in disgust as he pointed one, that was falling over with a giant potted plant, up some stairs. She happened to be a Slytherin that believed in S.P.E.W. She blamed her mom.

"Ah, Rosie Weasley," Scorpius smiled pleasantly at her. "Don't we go through this every year?"

"Yes," Rose remarked, watching him, "And each year I ignore your stupid line."

"Oi!" He barked at an elf. "I thought I said _straight_! That, is crooked. Merlin, you stupid little-"

"Malfoy!" She shrieked, "Don't you think that's enough? It's only the first day back and I don't want to fight. Just keep it down." She huffed and then stalked down the corridor to the girl's dorms.

The dungeons were just as cold as she remembered. Wrapping her arms around herself, Rose walked quickly to her bed. She was eager to pull on her comfy pajamas and drift right off to sleep.

Well, Rose decided, Scorpius wasn't acting different. Each year he had the house elves set up the Common Room and the boys' dorms the way he wanted. It usually involved hanging huge paintings and lots of exotic plants that were in silver plated pots. And he always made everyone wait outside until he had finished so they couldn't mess it up. And each year, Rose stalked in, they usually had a screaming match and then she left for her room.

It didn't take long until she was warm under her blankets and falling asleep.

The first day of class was always the worst for Rose. Each class started with lectures about what was expected of them and how close their futures were approaching. Rose, to be blunt, didn't give a crap.

At lunch, she slid into her seat at the Slytherin table and waved at her Gryffindor family across the room. Next to her were Orion and Daphne. Rose wasn't the most popular Slytherin on account of her being who she was and where she came from. But Slytherins stuck together, so she had friends and wasn't publicly ostracized.

"I didn't get any sleep last night," Daphne complained. "Scorpius didn't let us in until two! And you know I need my ten hours."

Orion snorted, "That's for sure."

Daphne retaliated by throwing a roll of bread at him. Rose rolled her eyes, "So why didn't you just go in?"

"Because he's _Scorpius Malfoy_," Daphne enunciated. Rose looked at her with her best what the hell face before shoving a forkful of potatoes in her mouth so she wouldn't say anything she'd regret later.

"So," She finally said after she swallowed, "If I told you that you and the rest of the Slytherins weren't allowed into the Common Room until after _I _finished decorating it, would you listen?"

"Merlin no," Daphne answered, laughing. "That's so stupid, why would I listen to you?"

"And there is my point." Rose said, taking a gulp from her goblet.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "You just don't get it."

"You're right, I don't." Rose agreed, not feeling hungry anymore. She played with her mashed potatoes, hoping no one would notice she wasn't eating. She didn't understand Scorpius Malfoy and why everyone listened to everything he said. She knew the Gryffindors didn't.

She was supposed to be snooping. Now was a great time. Nearly everyone was at lunch. She stood up, said that their ability to cow down to such a person left her disgusted, and left. She wanted to run to the Common Room, but that would have looked much too suspicious. She shouldered her bag and took quick strides.

But the Common Room wasn't empty when she got there.

Scorpius Malfoy was sprawled on the center couch. His legs were propped up and he had a school book open and was _reading_. She stood like a stone in the doorway, to shocked to believe what she was seeing. Why wasn't he at lunch? Don't boys love free food? And reading? Scorpius Malfoy was studying at lunch on the first day back?

"You could come in, Weasley. I don't bite... most of the time." Scorpius said, not even glancing up from his book.

"What are you doing?" She asked, glaring at him.

"I am reading. Come on Weasley, you're supposed to be intelligent." Scorpius mocked, this time, looking up at her with a smirk. His obscenely blonde hair fell into his eyes.

Rose stepped into the room and the door closed behind her. She eyed Malfoy wearily before saying, "It's only the first day back."

"I'm working ahead. I thought professors liked that."

Rose tried to remember Scorpius Malfoy's study habits. She knew he got good grades, but she always thought he payed people to take the tests and hand in his homework. Had she ever walk in on him studying before? She supposed she had, after all they did share a Common Room.

"I don't usually display my studious nature, so if you keep it to yourself that a Malfoy skipped lunch to read, I'd appreciate it."

She looked at him quizzically. He was asking her for something? He must have seen her face because he said, "Or not. It doesn't matter, my rep will probably increase. I hear girls like smart men."

Rose rolled her eyes. She headed for the girl's dorms without another word. But Malfoy stopped her with a question. "What are you doing here?" _I'm here spying for the Order of the Phoenix. Actually, I'm supposed to be spying on you. So tell me, is there any Dark Magic going on in the Manor? Planning on murdering anyone today? _Yes, because that would go over very well.

She turned to face him slowly. He was looking at her, waiting for her response. She shrugged, "Head start on my Potions essay."

He nodded, "Aren't we two peas in a pod?" He patted his lap, "Care to join me?"

This wasn't the first time he'd flirted with her. He'd thrown careless lines like that around since third year. In fact, she knew he'd done it with nearly every girl in Slytherin House. She did know that she was one of the only girls to say no each time. So this time, she faked puking and walked away.

She heard his laugh behind her. And then he said in a voice that was almost wistful, "It's gonna be a good year,"

In her dorm, she contemplated actually starting her Potions essay. But that thought was thrown from her mind the moment she saw an owl pecking incessantly on the window. She realized whose owl it was as she got closer. It was Pig's daughter, given to her brother for his third birthday. But Hugo didn't use Turtle for school, he was much like his father and the other Weasley men who preferred a rat. So Turtle replaced Errol when the time came.

Rose let Turtle in. Turtle stuck out her leg and hooted happily as Rose untied the piece of parchment. Once the paper was free, Turtle shot up into the air and soared around the room, hooting like the happiest bird in the world.

It was from Uncle Harry. He wanted her to go to McGonagall's office tonight so they could talk. What was she going to tell them? Malfoy was studying? His view of house elves hasn't changed? Oh yes, that was her hard hitting snooping, all right.

She spun on her heel, shoving the letter in her pocket. She was going to go get in a screaming match with Scorpius, maybe then he'd give something up. "Malfoy-" She stopped. The Common Room was empty. He had left. She hadn't even heard him, which was strange because the dungeon door? Very heavy.

She pried the door open and checked to see if it had been tampered with. She found a silencing charm. Scorpius hadn't wanted her to know he was leaving. She couldn't see him. Either he had left right after she had made it to her room or he had somehow disappeared. Well, she couldn't follow him since she had no idea where he went... but she knew he was up to something. He had put a silencing charm on the door, after all. That was shady business all right.

And that was something to tell Uncle Harry and the Order tonight.

Except for the fact that the Order wasn't impressed with that. It was even worse when her father stood up for her. Ron had cut in to all the angry muttering, "Give her a break. This is her first mission and it was only the first day."

Bitting her lip, Rose nodded. She didn't need her father to stand up for her. "I'll have something better next time, I promise."

Uncle Harry nodded and then he told them what the Order had been doing. "Somehow a list of all the aurors and their families have gotten into the wrong hands. Six dead already."

McGonagall gasped. Rose held her ground. She was going to prove herself.

_I gotta get back to Hogwarts,  
><em>_I gotta get back to school.  
><em>_Gotta get myself to Hogwarts,  
><em>_where everybody knows I'm cool  
><em>Get Back to Hogwarts, Starkid

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hi guys. I'd apprecitate it loads if you'd leave a review. I hope you enjoy and even if you don't, please tell me :) Okay, cheers :D**


	3. New Divide

Chapter Three: New Divide

_February 6_

Draco Malfoy hated war. Not a lot of people knew this about him, but it was true. Ever since his involvement in the Second War, he had hoped to never experience it again. For many years, this had been the course of his life. No war. He lived in the Manor, pampered, with his wife and son. Quite reminiscent of the way he was raised, he made sure Scorpius had a pet dragon and broom to keep him busy.

After his seventh year at Hogwarts, he was married to Astoria Greengrass and given the deed to Malfoy Manor. Together they lived comfortably, he working in the Department of Magical Games in Sports and she as the head of the household. Overtime, they grew to be more than friends in the marriage. They learned to love each other. How could they not? Draco always was a sucker for pretty brunettes.

Draco remembered the day he put his son on a broom of the first time. Scorpius had taken to it like a shark making its first kill. It had taken Astoria ages to make them come inside for dinner. Since then, Scorpius and Draco had spent afternoons out in the Manor's yard, flying. Imp, Scorpius' Chinese Fireball, sometimes joined them. The only problem was that sometimes he set Scorpius' broom on fire.

He remembered when Lucius would fly with him. He remembered how happy he felt. It felt like he and his dad would be together forever. Lucius would tell him stories, fill his mind with pure-blood ideals. He told Draco that one day, the Manor would be his and he'd be doing the same things with his own son. He also told him about his own dragon and his own days of flying.

And so he remembered when his father began to pull away.

It was right around before he started his first year at Hogwarts. People in hoods and dark cloaks would come over to the Manor at night. Narcissa would take him to bed before Auntie Bellatrix would start laughing. Sometimes they'd come over with scared muggles and Draco would lie awake all night, listening to the screams and his aunt's laugh.

Soon days out in the yard with his father were slim and if they existed, Draco was constantly being told how disappointing he was. So soon Draco stopped expecting his father and him to be together forever.

The only exception was, Draco never told his father when he had come to this conclusion. Scorpius had. In fact, he had sort of screamed it one afternoon, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. It stopped Draco dead and he had stared out at the infinite gardens of the Manor in shock. He thought to himself, _I've become my father._

Astoria had given him a massage that night because he was so tense. He'd asked her so many times if it was true, if he had become his father. She had hushed him soothingly and eventually they feel asleep.

He wasn't sure why he was thinking about all these things at a time like this. The hating war part made sense, but everything else was a blur. Currently, he and a group of Death Eaters were gathered in his study. They were plotting. They had to be smart about this. They had lost twice already.

The Marxs brothers had been on a killing spree. They had a list of all the aurors and their families. There were people in the Ministry on their side and his son was in Hogwarts. Draco had no idea how he had become the leader, it had just sort of fallen into his lap. It was no secret that the Malfoy family had been in the highest position during the last war, and it was also no secret that the Death Eaters felt the Malfoys had become "weak". Why they came to him with their plan was mind boggling. They probably had no one else with the money or influence. Plus, the Manor had nice amenities. And dungeons. The Manor had plenty of those.

He had no idea if their plan would work. And he had no idea why he hadn't sent them away the moment they arrived at his doorstep. He could have called Harry Potter. Merlin knows that the Golden Boy would have just _loved_ to win another war. Potter and his precious Order. Thought they were so high and mighty. Always right. Always saving someone else.

If he was being honest, he thought their plan sucked. It had too many holes in it and could easily be foiled. He raised his suspicions, not even bothering to be polite. The Death Eaters sitting at his table laughed. The one Draco thought to be named Perseus (he could never tell as they all looked alike with those damned robes and he never cared about any of them enough to actually learn their names) stood and said, "We shall test the ritual before we attempt it on the Dark Lord."

"Do tell, who do you plan to raise from the dead?" Draco inquired, tipping his chair back.

Perseus, if that was his name, chuckled. He licked his lips and whispered, "Bellatrix Lestrange."

It took all of Draco's self control to not fall backwards (or forward). Somehow- he didn't know how- he didn't even flinch. He sat there, his chair reclined, thinking. The Death Eaters were going to attempt to bring his Auntie Bella back. Whenever he thought of Aunt Bella, Draco heard her laugh and saw her bushy hair and her twisted smirk. That was how he remembered her.

Slowly, Draco brought his chair back to its regular position, landing with a loud _bang_ against the marble of the Manor's floor. The Death Eaters flinched and Draco imagined yelling at them all and having them cower in fear. After all, he was in charge. But he didn't raise a single objection to the idea of bringing Bellatrix Lestrange back into the world.

"Is this your only plan? Testing the ritual out beforehand?"

Perseus smiled. Except, it wasn't really a smile. Sure, his lips curved upwards, but people smile when they're happy. This was more sinister, like Perseus was enjoying whatever awful thing he was going to say.

"We do have another plan."

* * *

><p>Rose didn't know why James was so gung-ho about the tomorrow's game of Quidditch being Gryffindor against Slytherin. She had no doubt that they were going to win and James and his Gryffindogs would be crying all night long. She didn't tell him this for a few reasons. One, she was outnumbered by Gryffindors at the moment and two, she didn't feel like getting into a debate about which team was better (Slytherin).<p>

She was sitting in between her brother, Hugo, and James at the Gryffindor table after class. Her Potions book was open in front of her and she was halfheartedly scribbling notes for her essay she'd have to write eventually. Hugo was writing a letter home, probably asking for money for their next Hogesmede trip. Hugo always did have a money problem. He saw things, mostly trinkets for his broom, and bought them. There was also candy. Hugo loved brooms and candy. James, once he got tired of boasting about the upcoming Gryffindor win, was studying his game plan.

It was the most studious Rose had ever seen him. Being Quidditch Captain had been what James had wanted since he saw his first Quidditch game on TV when he was just months old. When his father finally taught him to fly, it had been the best day of his life. He took his position seriously. She had seen him staying up until all hours of the morning working out plays and drawing diagrams all summer long.

A part of her felt bad that his little heart was going to be crushed during tomorrow's game. Only a small part, though. Probably the part of her that was a little Gryffindor.

"Here," Hugo announced sometime later, handing her the letter. "Sign."

Rose rolled her eyes and scrawled a message down to her parents. Just the usual- I'm fine, classes are busy, love you, miss you, bye. Sliding the letter back to her brother, she noticed people at the Slytherin table glaring at her. She rolled her eyes and went back to her essay note taking. There was no rule that said Slytherins and Gryffindors couldn't be friends and no one had ever stopped her from sitting at this table when school was over for the day. She'd been doing it since first year.

"So, spying for the Order," James smirked at her.

Rose looked around. Hugo was watching them, but apart from that no one else was. "Aren't you jealous?" She grinned.

James rolled his eyes, "Looks like there's one perk to being a sneaky Slytherin." She knew he was joking... sort of. James had never been a big Slytherin fan, but he had tried to see past it once Rose was sorted, but it never really worked.

"Have you found anything?" Hugo asked.

Rose sighed. "No."

"We can help." James grinned, leaning closer. "We have ways..."

"I have the map," Hugo added.

Rose gasped, "I knew you took it! I spent the all of break looking! Where did you keep it?"

Hugo grinned, he sat up straight, probably feeling proud that he outsmarted his clever sister. "My underwear drawer."

Her nose crinkled. She hadn't checked there because of the atrocious smell. "I want the map." She hissed, eyeing her brother.

Hugo shrank back, but held his ground. "Let James and I in on the scheme."

Rose rolled her eyes. "This isn't a _scheme_." She lowered her voice and all three of them leaned in closer, "This is an official mission from the Order. _I_ have to do this. Not you. Uncle Harry chose me."

"Aren't you special?" James hissed, looking resentfully at her.

"I need the map."

"Well you can't have it." Hugo said, leaning away and crossing his arms.

Rose huffed. "You're both so immature. That's why Uncle Harry chose me." She stood up, shoved her notes into her book before slamming it and stomping away. She couldn't believe how selfish they were being. If they wanted to help the Order so bad, they would give her the map.

_"Accio map,"_ She tried. Nothing happened. They had gotten smarter.

_February 7_

Her favorite school item was her Slytherin scarf. She wasn't sure why. But she took every opportunity she had to wear it. Quidditch games always qualified as a chance to wear her scarf. She wore it during Hogsmede trips and if a time arose when she had classes in opposite buildings during winter. She wore it the fall when it wasn't cold enough to wear a heavy coat but it was too breezy to go out unprepared.

Walking down to the Quidditch pitch with Oberon and Daphne, Rose was readjusting her scarf happily. That was another thing about wearing her scarf. She could never make up her mind about which style she liked better. Did she like it wrapped around twice or just lazily thrown over her shoulders?

"Merlin Rose, give it a break." Oberon moaned.

Rose glared at him, "Is my scarf remodeling doing you any physical harm? No, so shut it and let me do what I please."

Oberon held up his hands, "Someone is pissy. What's happening with you?"

"My brother and James." Rose muttered, "But it's nothing. Don't even ask."

Daphne popped her gum loudly. "Anyway, Rose, I got my subscription of _Witch Weekly_ yesterday and there was this quiz-"

"Yeah," Rose cut in, looking up from her scarf, "Don't care."

"You really are aggro."

"No, Rose has never cared about that stuff." said Oberon, smiling at Rose who thanked him for knowing her so well.

Daphne pouted, "But it was called _Are you a Hippogriff, a Pixie, or a Centaur?_"

Rose looked at her oddly, "And why would I want to take that?"

Before Daphne could respond, there was a frighteningly strong gust of wind. Rose was grateful she had gone with the two fold option for her scarf. It blew their cloaks opened, which they had left unbuttoned lazily. The wind was so cold that it chilled them instantly. It set everyone back a few steps. The wind howled in protest. Rose shivered and quickly buttoned up her cloak and pulled on her hat, making sure her ears were covered.

She loved winter... when she was inside and cozy. When she was outside? Not so much.

Rose never understood why Quidditch games were never canceled. It clearly wasn't safe, sane, or logical to be flying in this awful wind. Rose loved to fly, but not enough to learn Quidditch. However, she considered herself to be a coward when it came to flying. The slightest rain or wind and she was safely on the ground. But if the sun was shining and birds were out chirping, then she was up there.

And how could she not love to fly? Sure, her mom didn't. But her dad, Uncle Harry, and the three other boys she grew up with? She might have been the black sheep in Slytherin, but that was as far as their differences went. The Potters and the Weasleys had raised their families side by side. They both lived comfortably in Godric's Hollow and took trips to Diagon Alley the first Saturday of each month.

Once Rose and Oberon and Daphne had claimed their seats in the giant stadium, Rose leaned over the railing and joined in the pre-game cheering. She looked around for Albus, Hugo, and Lily. She couldn't spot them on their side of the arena, a sea of gold and red. She didn't want to to imagine what the Slytherins looked like, all green and silvered up.

The wind blew again, and everyone in the stands ducked, hoping the wood would take the brunt of it. No matter what they did, the cold still penetrated. Rose jumped up and down, rubbing her hands together. Anything to stay warm.

It felt like years before the game started. But that was due to the cold. When the game did start, Rose felt like the cold had disappeared and she was in the zone. She loved watching games. They didn't occupy her mind for days, but when a game was in front of her, she was turned on to it. She saw that James and his teammate were passing the Quaffle back and forth, progressing up the field. She looked for the Slytherins and sure enough the Beaters had the Bludger. They sent it soaring, and James just made the duck, but the Quaffle went flying into Scorpius' arms. He easily took it down the field and scored the first ten points.

Slytherin cheered while Gryffindor whined. The cold only made it worst for them. But not for long. Gryffindor came back with a play Rose thought she recognized from James' top secret play book. She watched, booing, as James collided with his fellow Chaser in joy. Then he looked up at her and flashed her the finger.

The game went on, and soon Rose forgot about the cold. She watched eagerly as each team did their best and flew perilously through the wind. James and Scorpius went up against each other many times, but in the end if was a Slytherin win making the game two hundred to thirty.

Rose was glad the game was short. It wasn't until she took her layers off that she realized the reason she could no longer feel the cold was because she had gone numb. Her hands were a bright pink and frozen. She was pleased to find hot chocolate waiting in the Great Hall. She, Oberon, and Daphne took a seat at the Slytherin table, chatting happily about the game.

The Gryffindors trudged in slowly, their noses pink and runny from the cold. They took their hot chocolate to go, not particularly excited to face the victorious Slytherins, who called taunts over as soon as they saw someone in gold and red.

When Scorpius entered the room, the cheers were deafening. Rose didn't clap. Or scream. She just sat, sipped her cocoa, and watched. Scorpius was flanked by his beaters, which soon changed as two girls quickly ran up to him. They each kissed him before taking one of his arms as their own. Scorpius smiled and sauntered over to the table.

When he saw that Rose wasn't clapping, he raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes and his response was to wipe a fake tear away from his eye. She looked away from him and spoke to the Keeper, Aries, who had taken the seat on her other side.

When the party moved to the Common Room, there was loud music and plenty of butterbeer and fire whiskey. Rose hung around, happily sitting on one of the plushy chairs, sipping a butterbeer. She watched as her peers dancing haphazardly in the center of the room. She knew most of them were highly intoxicated. Rose knew she was a strange person, choosing to sit back and watch it all happen. But the truth was, she was exhausted. The cold had really knocked it out of her.

"Come on Roseeeeeeeee," Daphne slurred, giggling and gripping the armchair of Rose's seat for support.

Rose grinned, "Are you okay?"

Daphne hiccuped, "I'm fantastic!"

"How much have you had to drink?"

"How much have _you_ had to drink, Rosie?" Daphne shot back, giggling obscenely loud.

Rose grinned wryly, "I guess that answers my question."

It was then that Daphne squealed and began to fall over. Rose sat and watched, smiling. Her fun was cut short when a pair of male arms wrapped around Daphne, steadying her. Malfoy. He set Daphne down when she seemed stable enough and looked at Rose. "Not drinking I see," he remarked.

Rose eyed him. "You know how to hold your liquor."

He grinned, "That I do. Your friend here doesn't."

Rose rolled her eyes at the mention of Daphne. However, Daphne, as if realizing they were talking about her, hiccuped and then giggled before sitting down on the floor and beginning to meditate.

Scorpius ignored her and kept his eyes focused on Rose. He took a seat on the armchair and leaned in close to her, much too close for Rose's idea of personal space. She backed away a little and quirked an eyebrow at him, "Yes?"

"Nothing. I just like the view." She knew he was looking down her shirt. She grinned and looked away from him, back out at the crowd of drunk teenagers grinding on each other. She'd done it once. It felt weird. She wondered if she had done it right, but didn't trouble herself with analyzing it anymore. It was over and done with.

But right now, Scorpius was sitting very close to her. He was wearing a long sleeve, thermal shirt and some black jeans. His hair matched his shirt, which somehow made him look very good. Rose always knew he was probably very built from all the Quidditch, but now that the Order had made her think of him as a possible Death Eater, she saw that he had a lot of extra muscle.

His lips quirked up in a rare smile. "Checking me out, Weasley?"

Denying it would be useless. "Maybe."

She smiled at the way his eyebrows rose, disappearing above his hair that was hanging down in his eyes. This was a first for her, playing along with his game of flirting. Maybe it was because she was so tired. Damn that cold. It had completely knocked all common sense from her brain. The sad part was that she was totally sober.

Something in Scorpius' eyes flashed. Rose didn't know what, but it made the lazy smile on her face fall away. She watched as he stood up, nodded to her stiffly, and then disappear into the crowd.

Rose sat, dumbfounded, having no clue what had just happened.

_So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean  
><em>_Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes  
><em>_Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between  
><em>_Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide  
><em>New Divide, Linkin Park


	4. Carousel

Chapter Four: Carousel

_February 10_

Hogsmede Trips were always causes of excitement for the Hogwarts population going. Especially the trip around this time of the year. The annual Valentine's Day Trip. Daphne had jumped on Rose's bed at six in the morning, completely freaking out about she was going to wear on her date with some guy- Rose hadn't bothered to listen. With one hand, Rose shoved Daphne off her bed, and with the other, smothered herself with the pillow.

Rose had bigger things to worry about. As she shut her eyes and tried to fall back asleep, she found that she couldn't. Instead she was thinking about her meeting with Uncle Harry. Now that was important. That was real. She needed her rest for it. According to Uncle Harry she was going to have to do some hiking. She also had to figure out how to ditch Daphne and Oberon. It wouldn't be that hard, as neither of them were exceptionally bright.

When she woke up again, at a somewhat decent time, it was nine. With that, she got up and attempted to shower. The only problem was that the entire Slytherin girls' bathroom was bursting with emotional girls trying to get ready for their big Valentine's dates. Rose pushed her way through, and somehow she washed up.

In the Great Hall, her eyes found the Gryffindors. James was still mourning the loss of the game, and so he was sitting with his head on the table. Hugo, on the other hand, had his arm wrapped around a girl with flaming red hair like Aunt Ginny's or their dad's. When Hugo saw her looking, he blushed at her raised eyebrow before resolutely looking away from her and at his red headed girl.

In fact, Rose surveyed the scene at the Gryffindor table. Almost everyone was coupled up, cuddling with their Valentine's Date. For a moment, she felt like an idiot for turning down every guy that had asked her out for today. It took a moment for her to remember why she had said no, and when she did, she felt proud of what she was doing. She walked to the Slytherin table, reminding herself that she still had plenty of time to date boys. Once they won the war, she'd put on her favorite green dress and learn how to grind properly.

Shoveling a mountain of eggs onto her plate, Oberon laughed at her. His plate was stacked just as high with sausage. Daphne wasn't there and Oberon questioned Rose about her whereabouts. Rose shrugged and said, "Probably still fighting for a spot in front of the mirror. It is the Valentine's Day Hogsmede trip after all."

"Yeah... about that..." Oberon said, running a hand through his hair.

Rose dropped her fork, splattering egg onto the table. Suddenly she was hyperaware of her fellow Slytherins' eyes on her. But not just all of them. She felt like Scorpius was watching. She cautiously glanced down the table, and saw that he was. She looked at his chin, to avoid his eyes, and saw the bodies of two girls sitting next to him. Why did she even care? He looked because she made noise. That's all.

Oberon chuckled as she sheepishly stuffed as much egg into her napkin as possible. "So, I noticed you don't have a date for today..."

She stopped burying egg in her napkin. "Actually, I'm doing something with my brother and the Potters."

She glanced up to see Oberon's reaction to this. "Oh..." He said. She wondered if he was waiting for her to extend an invite to him.

"Yup," She said, "Some nice family bonding." She'd have to tell them to cover for her if they bumped into Oberon. She knew James and Hugo would want to come with her, that's why she hadn't said anything.

Oberon nodded, "Family bonding. How long do you think that's gonna last?"

"A long time. We just can't get enough of each other. I mean, we're all gonna take turns going off with our dates at some point, but we'll always be with someone. Just me and a bunch of Gryffindors."

Why was he still pushing? Couldn't he take her hints? The only way to get him to stop was tell him she had a date. But who? Across the room she saw Teddy and Victoire walking in, hand in hand. Who could she get to be her fake Valentine's Date? Behind them, she saw Lorcan and Lysander Scamander walking into the room.

"And Lorcan," She added before she could stop herself.

"Lorcan?" Oberon choked on his bacon, "Like Lovegood's kid? They're even crazier than she was,"

Rose gritted her teeth, she adored her time with Aunt Luna and didn't like anyone putting her down. As far as Rose was concerned, Lorcan and Lysander had a fantastic life. Each summer, they traveled with the world with their parents, searching for that allusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She didn't understand why Aunt Luna was still mocked by people; she had discovered hundreds of new species in her years of being a naturalist.

In response, Rose stood up and headed over to Lorcan. She threw her arms around him and brought her lips to his ear, "Play along," She hissed, praying he wouldn't say or do anything that would tip Oberon off to her lie.

Lorcan wrapped his arms around her waist and agreed, "What are we doing?" He whispered in her ear.

"Can you be my fake Valentine's Date?"

Lorcan pulled away from her. He was a head taller than her so he had to look down at her. He nodded and shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Rose grinned, "Great! Okay, so we're supposed to spend the day with..." She trailed off, realizing something, "Bullocks. Come on," She grabbed his hand and together they walked to the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Rose," Lily greeted, looking up at her.

Rose skipped the pleasantries. "I need your guys' help." She pushed her way into the table and pulled Lorcan with her.

Albus looked at her weirdly and greeted Lorcan.

"I told Oberon we were spending the day together." At that, Hugo, Lily, Albus, and James all began to argue. "Sh! I need you to help me, I have a meeting with Uncle Harry and Oberon was going to ask me out,"

"So you say no." James said, glaring at her.

"Yeah, he'll just ask you out again on another day," Lily said, looking at her. If Lily wasn't on board with the idea, Rose knew she was asking too much. But she couldn't help herself today. She had a meeting with the Order and that was more important than any of their dates.

"I told him I was seeing Lorcan. Anyway, if he does, then I'll say no. But I need a cover story for today, anyway. So I'll stay with you guys for awhile and then... well, cover for me."

"And you agreed to this?" Hugo asked, looking at Lorcan.

Lorcan smiled, "I will always help a friend in need."

Rose smiled, "You guys in?"

Reluctantly, she watched them nod. "Only cause we love you, Rose." Lily muttered, taking a bite of her toast.

* * *

><p>Rose had to admit that as much as she loved Aunt Luna, she hadn't spent as much time with Lorcan as she should have. She didn't know much about him, but it turned out he knew plenty about her. They agreed to meet at the Three Broomsticks at eleven, and he arrived with her favorite candy.<p>

She felt bad she didn't have anything for him. So, she reached over and kissed his cheek before pulling him into the seat next to her. They ordered a round of drinks and a platter of food to share, before launching into conversation immediately.

Rose felt warm curled in Lorcan's arm. She had her scarf wrapped around her neck and had discarded her jacket on the back of her chair. Her butterbeer was warm and her friends' smiles made everything better. It wasn't until the door opened, letting in a gust of freezing wind did the warmth leave Rose.

Scorpius Malfoy had walked in with his cronies. He, as was the usual, had two girls on his arms, with Zabini and Goyle following behind him with their own dates. Everyone at Rose's table groaned at the new arrival. Rose averted her eyes quickly and took a sip of her drink.

"So anyway-" Rose resumed what she was saying before Malfoy had kicked the door open and unleashed the forces of the wind, but was cut short by one of the bimbos laughing on Malfoy's arm.

"A Ravenclaw?" She was staring at Rose with an amused eyebrow raised.

Rose eyed her sharply, "Got a problem? I didn't think so, keep walking."

Scorpius chuckled and slowly disentangled himself from the girl whose blush was slowly rising to her hairline. He sauntered over to their table and shamelessly faced the harsh glares from their Gryffindors. "You all make such an interesting group." He commented, smirking at all of them.

James scoffed first and stood up, "Look Malfoy, this place is big enough for us both. Just stick to your side and we'll be over here."

Malfoy's smirk didn't drop an inch. "Actually Potter, I think that I'd like the entire place to myself."

James' mouth opened and he started to say something along the lines of, "You little prick-" when Scorpius snapped his fingers and a serving witch appeared in front of him, popping her gum loudly. It all took moments and then they were standing outside with a whole group of people who had also been kicked out of the Three Broomsticks.

"That slimy, little toad!" Rose hissed, kicking a pill of snow. James and Hugo used a few more choice words.

Lorcan placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "No one knows if shooting stars will land..."

She eyed him oddly and noticed James and Hugo doing the same thing. "Is that your way of trying to make what he just did better?"

"We can't change it, so lets just move on," Lorcan said, "There's this great Peruvian food a few stores a way..." He stopped when he saw everyone, minus Lily, glaring at him.

"I don't want Peruvian food," James hissed, "I want my butterbeer and heart shaped sugar cookie."

"Look, don't take it out on him." Rose cut in.

"Fine, I'll take it out on you." James took a step to her, pulling free of his date who had wrapped her arm in his. "This is your problem!"

"Me?" Rose asked, "How is this my problem?"

"James, stop this." Lily said, glaring at her brother.

"He's your Death Eater and what are you doing? Getting kicked out of restaurants and cheering for him during Quidditch games!"

"Oh, please James! I'm cheering for _my house team_. And he kicked everyone in the restaurant out! Not just us. Look, I get it, you're pissed and I ruined your Valentine's Date. I'm sorry, okay? But the day isn't over. We can go to that Peruvian place Lorcan suggested and still have a great time together." Rose said, trying to knock some sense into him.

"You and Lorcan can go to the damned Peruvian place. I'm leaving." He grabbed his date's hand and he stomped off, leaving behind Hugo and Lily who were calling his name.

"I think it's his time of the month," Lily muttered, when James was out of their sight. "Please ignore him,"

Rose attempted a smile. His leaving hurt more than she would have liked to admit. James was like her big brother, he was one of her closest friends. She didn't like fighting with him. She knew he was fuming from his father picking her as his informant but she had hoped he would have gotten over it by now. She wanted his help. She wanted all of their help.

They all slumped dejectedly to the Peruvian place, listening to Lorcan talk happily about a band of unknown Tinkers they discovered over Christmas break. Rose was cold. The wind was strong and she wished she had chap stick with her to protect her lips. She imagined her nose was red like the muggle reindeer Rudolph. Her mother used to show her and Hugo their film each year when they were kids.

Suddenly, Rose was hit with a longing for it to be Christmas again. She wanted to be with her mom and watch Rudolph. She wanted to watch her dad try to roast chestnuts in the oven the muggle way and burn them only to reverse it with a spell. Rose always thought that her mother was the most beautiful woman to ever live. Even her name, Rose would think longingly, _Hermione_... it was so exotic so different. Rose? Rose was so common. It was just a flower. For most people it was a middle name.

One day she asked her mom why she had been named Rose. She remembered the way her mom looked so taken aback, like she had never even pondered the thought that her daughter was unhappy with her name. So her mother told her that, for each day she was pregnant, her dad gave her a rose. When Rose was little, she thought his had been the most romantic thing ever. But now she wasn't so sure if it the story was true. She knew her mom was clever, and she also knew that her dad was the most awkward person in the world.

Either way, Rose had never asked about her name again. But now she thought of Christmas, with all its bright lights and wonderful smell of pine and crisp, white snow. She remembered building snowmen and having snowball fights. She remembered hot cocoa each night before bed. She remembered winter. The barrenness of the land, which was oddly calming to her. Most people hated winter because there were no flowers or birds chirping. But Rose loved it.

Now, sitting at the Peruvian restaurant, she came back to the present. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost time to meet Uncle Harry. She fiddled with her scarf before telling everyone that it was time she go.

Lorcan walked her to the door. "Thanks for coming," She said, smiling at him.

He smiled at her, and Rose spent a few moments admiring his eyes. They were a deep blue and they contrasted against his dark hair and purple scarf. "It was more fun than hunting barefoot in the Amazon for a one eyed pig toed skrewt."

Rose giggled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "See you later,"

"Happy Valentine's Day," Lorcan said, before she began her walk to the outskirts.

The hike gave her time to think. She thought about Scorpius and what he was doing right now. She wondered if Blaise and Goyle were in on it. Could there be a group of Death Eaters in the the Three Broomsticks right now?

And what did Uncle Harry have to tell her? He didn't say much in his letter in fear of it being intercepted and her meetings with the Order and McGonagall were always too short for anyones liking. She had to make the most of this meeting.

She tripped over a tree branch. After that she decided to stop thinking and focus on getting there in one piece.

The cave was bigger than she thought it was going to be. Either way, she slipped inside and found Uncle Harry waiting for her. They greeted each other with a hug, and then he pulled away, and began to rub her arms. He had a fire going, so it was nice and warm inside. Rose grinned and then they took a seat.

"How's school?" Uncle Harry asked. Rose knew he was trying to be polite and maybe retain a bit of normalcy despite what was happening in the world.

"Uh... great. Slytherin's leading the Quidditch Cup."

At that, Uncle Harry scowled. "I'm sure James isn't happy."

"He's not happy about a lot of things,"

Uncle Harry sighed again, "I know he's angry with me. He's just like me. But, lets get on with things. What news of Malfoy?"

"He does his homework, wins Quidditch games, and kisses girls. I think we should be looking somewhere else." Rose said, fiddling with her fingers.

She watched as Uncle Harry shook his head, "I'm almost positive that whatever is going on is happening at the Manor. You need to look harder. What about the other Slytherins?"

"Nothing, Uncle Harry. And I've been living with these people for six years! I would know. They still party just as hard and they pick on the same people. Malfoy and Blaise and Goyle are at the Three Broomsticks with their dates now,"

"Rose, I need you to find something. We've been looking for traitors in the Ministry. Listen to me Rose, aurors and their families are being murdered. Someone has a list of all the aurors and is killing them. The only people with access to a list like that is someone in the Ministry. I'm sure that they also want to gain control of Hogwarts. I need you to be on your best lookout. You're my eyes and ears, Rosie. The Order needs you."

Rose's blood had gone cold at the mention of the aurors. People were being murdered. She nodded, wide eyed. "I-I... I'll do better."

"They haven't gone after Muggles yet. Lets stop this all before they do, okay?" Uncle Harry said, looking at her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, probably in comfort. Rose could hardly feel it, she had gone numb in shock.

"Uncle Harry? Where does the Order have people?" Rose asked.

"We have you, McGonagall and Neville at Hogwarts. Luna and her husband are roaming up north somewhere, trying to talk to the creatures, seeing if they know anything. Hagrid is in Gringotts, trying to talk with the goblins. In the Ministry, there's myself, both your parents, I believe we can trust the Minister, but that it still to be determined. Seamus and Dean are on our side, they recently contacted me. We have all of the Weasleys..."

This did nothing to raise Rose's spirits. It sounded like they had no one. And how many did the Death Eaters have?

"The dead aurors and their families... why?" Her voice cracked.

"The remains we found look like they were probably tortured. Probably for information. But they didn't give it up. Those people that are dying, they're the loyal ones. We need to stop this, Rose."

She nodded, renewed determination in her. "How many missing now?"

Uncle Harry's face was grave. She had never seen him like this. She didn't like it. She couldn't imagine her parents looking this serious, this deflated. The way he told her that she was in charge of Hogwarts was scary. She was scared. She thought of her beautiful mother on Christmas.

"We can't reach six aurors, we've contacted the others. Seven Ministry workers missing. Three bodies have been found." His eyes widened, "Rose, you have to keep this to yourself. No one can know, okay? Not even James or Hugo. This is Order business, and your father would have a fit if he knows I've told you all this. Between us, okay?"

Rose nodded, "Yes, Uncle Harry. I hope you find the others before it's too late."

He wrapped her in his arms, "I'll let you know when we find something else. I'll be in contact in two nights."

She whispered, "Bye, Uncle Harry," and then he was gone.

_On and on and on we go  
><em>_Just like a carousel that's lost control  
><em>_And we don't know why, we don't know why  
><em>_We go and go and go in circles  
><em>Carousel, Paper Routes

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello! I hope you're still with me :) Please leave me a review. Pleeeeeease.**


	5. Map of the Problematique

Chapter Five: Map of the Problematique

_February 12_

Waiting for Seamus to return was the single most panic inducing thing Harry had ever felt. If Seamus didn't return, Harry had no idea how he would forgive himself for sending one of his best friends into a death sentence. Ginny had her hands on his shoulder, in what was supposed to be an act of comfort, but nothing helped. Ron and Hermione were standing close to each other in the corner.

He looked at the clock out of the corner of his eye. Seamus was due in five seconds. He counted the seconds in his mind. Five seconds had never seemed so long.

It all happened in a moment. There was a commotion from the fireplace across from the table where Harry was sitting. A body, hopefully Seamus', flew through, coughing and sputtering and lying on the floor. The four of them moved simultaneously, each grabbing a limb and pulling the body up.

"Oi, bloody blasted hall," Seamus' accent was thick and despite it all, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione smiled. "You're not gonna believe what those crazy Death Eaters are planning!"

Harry looked at Seamus. His clothes were torn and there was a cut above his eye. His face, neck, and hands were covered in dirt and grim. His hair was a mess and he was breathing quickly.

"I'll get some tea," Hermione muttered, and moved quickly to the kitchen. Ron watched her go, and sighed sadly. Harry's heart constricted. He felt responsible for the rift he was causing between them. He was the one that had come up with the idea of sending Rose in as a spy. He had convinced Ron and Hermione to say yes.

This War was affecting Hermione differently. This time, her sole concern was the welfare of her kids. And Ron's, while he did care, he was more focused on the bigger picture. Ron took a seat across from Seamus.

Seamus took a few deep breathes before he closed his eyes and began.

_It was the scariest moment of my life. That day I passed my training, they put me in the black cloak. They put the hood on and they marched me to the ballroom in the Manor. I heard Malfoy, that little git, barking orders and telling everyone where to begin._

_That was the first time he saw me. He threw a fit and ordered to have me killed. But some of the others, the ones in charge of training, Zabini and Parkinson, swore that I was one of the best they'd ever seen. But because of Malfoy, they didn't Mark me. I was one of the three they were Marking. _

_Only very few Death Eaters have a real Mark. There are a lot of fake Marks for when they go out in groups and wreck havoc, but that's for show. On the inside, all the recruits are backstabbing each other, looking for ways in to get their Marks. Since I didn't have a Mark, I couldn't gain access to the big meeting with Malfoy and the others._

_But I was good enough to be on the first string of Death Eaters assigned to get the job done. They came into our quarters one night and told us about a ritual. _

Hermione walked in with a tray of steaming tea, breaking Seamus' story. Everyone was silent as Hermione worked diligently, pouring everyone a cup. And then everyone put in the appropriate amount of milk, honey, and sugar. They stirred and sipped, all amongst racing hearts.

Harry's mind was spinning. A ritual. And Malfoy was involved. So Scorpius had to be, too. After all, it was never unlike Malfoys to not involve their sons in whatever messed up plan they had. Harry saw Ron's hand tapping impatiently on the table as Seamus took another sip of tea. He saw Hermione resolutely not looking at Ron. He took Ginny's hand.

Seamus finished his entire cup before he began the story again.

_They said that this was something special. That we were hand chosen. I had a hard time believing anyone campaigning for me, since Malfoy had to have been against it. But someone had done it and got me in. They said this was a secret and that this ritual would change the world. _

_But before they could do it on their beloved Dark Lord, they had to try it out first. None of us knew what it was, so there was a lot of annoying murmurings. Finally they told us that we would have to travel to a mountain and in the dead of night, when the moon is highest in the sky, because that was when we could do it._

_We didn't leave for another three days, when the moon was full. On the top of the mountain, it was freezing and our cloaks were billowing in the wind. Let me tell you, those Death Eater cloaks are not the most practical look. Anyway, when we were there, Malfoy pulled out an urn. He put it down and then all the senior Death Eaters made a circle. I think there were six of them. The joined hands and began to chant. Latin, I think._

It was then that George Weasley came stumbling in from the back door. His mouth was hanging open and his clothes were bloody. Ron jumped up and ran to his brother. They communicated silently and George shut his mouth. He looked like he was trying not to cry.

Harry remembered something. "You were supposed to be guarding Auror Rosewood." He stood up and clenched his fists at his side.

George's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head, "She-she-she... she came. And she was... she was crazy! Bloody mental, that one is."

"Who, George?" Ginny asked, biting her lip. She looked up at Harry, who took her hand.

Ron clasped his brother's shoulder and nodded encouragingly. "Come on George..."

George's voice shook when he whispered: "Bellatrix Lestrange,"

"Man!" Seamus groaned, "Did you _have_ to steal the punch line of my story?"

* * *

><p>Rose had always liked to believe she was very tolerant of Muggles. After all, her mom was one and believed very strongly in ending the bad blood between wizards and Muggles. In the years since the Second War, Hogwarts instituted something new to their curriculum where every student had to take Muggle Studies for all seven years.<p>

Today they were studying physical education. Rose huffed and puffed as she tried to complete another lap. Muggles had to do this everyday at school? She groaned. Oberon was next to her, looking just a tiny bit better than her.

"How," She asked, but stopped to gasp, "do people do this everyday?"

"Like this," Scorpius Malfoy's voice answered, jogging passed her with ease.

She glared at his form, jogging in front of her. She gritted her teeth and then tried to pick up her pace.

"Rose?" Oberon called from behind her.

She ignored him and pushed herself forward until she found herself next to Scorpius. "You run?"

"It is quite a nice stress reliever," Scorpius replied conversationally. "I take it you don't run often."

"I usually reserve running for when I'm in mortal peril and such." She saw out of the corner of her eyes that he was smiling.

"Well, you wouldn't get very far. And imagine if there were dragons involved. You'd be dead meat," He said.

"Yeah... dragons," She said, "So how long have you been running?"

He shrugged, "Awhile,"

She stored this information. Dragons and running. Hard hitting Order spying news. But once the Order left her mind she thought about what he had said. Dragons? He had to have had some experience with them. Why else would he have brought it up? She remembered that Uncle Charlie worked with dragons in Romania. And Uncle Harry fought one in his fourth year. The Second War... weren't they used during that?

She wanted to ask him about dragons, but couldn't figure out how to make it sound natural. So instead she settled on running next to him, trying her hardest to keep pace. He really was a fast runner. Could it be a Death Eater thing?

It was kind of nice running next to Scorpius Malfoy, Rose thought. Listening to the sound of his steady breathing. Thankfully there was a welcoming breeze that blew to mediate the sweat pouring off them.

"You're smiling," Scorpius said.

She jumped, and stopped running. Her lungs felt ready to explode and she took deep, open mouthed breaths. Her hands went to her knees, "What?"

Scorpius was smiling now, too, she saw. She felt like telling him, just to get even. So she did, "So are you."

Instead of freaking out, like she expected, he started to laugh. His eyes were sparkling and Rose felt like a wimp for noticing. He put his hands on his knees and hunched over also still laughing. She watched him, confused, before somehow joining in.

"Weasley! Malfoy! Five points from Slytherin, back to the track!" Madame Hooch screeched from somewhere behind them.

It took seconds for Scorpius to grab her hand and pull her back onto the field, where he promptly dropped her hand and began to run again. This time instead of running side by side, Rose ran in front of him, determined to win this race. He caught up to her and for the rest of the class, they'd each take turns leading, still laughing. It brought a painful stitch to her side, but Rose couldn't have cared any less if she wanted too.

"Good work today everyone," Madame Reina, the Muggle Studies professor, said, standing next to Madame Hooch, who was smaller now in her older years. "And thank Madame Hooch for letting us use the track."

"Thank you, Madame Hooch," The students moaned, all taking deep breaths, exhausted from the run. The walk back to the locker rooms were full of incredulous questions about how Muggles could do it every day.

Rose and Scorpius hung behind the group of their classmates. Rose ignored looks from Oberon and stared at her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpius open his mouth.

"ROSE!" Happily, she looked at Scorpius, before realizing that that wasn't his voice and that he looked surprised at the interruption. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned to see Uncle Neville running towards her.

"Uncle Neville, hi..." Rose said, in confusion.

"Professor Longbottom," Scorpius greeted amiably.

"Rose, Scorpius, hello. Yes, um, Rose, I must speak with you. Your father wrote, we must find your brother first." Uncle Neville said.

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked, quickly following in the direction Uncle Neville went. She turned back around to say goodbye to Scorpius, but found that he was already walking away from her. She turned back around to look at Uncle Neville. "What's happened?"

"Your family is fine. I just couldn't tell you with him around. Were you spying?" Neville grinned cheekily at her.

"Were dragons used in the Second War?"

"Yes,"

"Then yes, I was spying. Now, what's happened?"

"Harry has called an emergency meeting and it is crucial that we are all there. He says he has big news and it isn't good. I just hope no one else has died." Uncle Neville spoke softly and Rose realized that they were on their way to McGonagall's office.

Rose briefly thought about Hugo and James. They'd want to be here. "Is anyone else coming?" She hoped her uncle would understand who she meant by anyone, and his answer of no, seemed like he did. She decided that she would try to tell them as much as she could. She didn't want to make them madder, especially at a time like now, when friends were everything.

Uncle Neville said, "Exploding Snaps," And then the spiraling staircase rose up and they climbed on. Rose's heart was in her stomach, and she prayed that it wasn't anything too horrible. Dragons, she told herself, she had found something. Maybe, possibly. Right?

She saw that they were a small group. McGonagall was sitting at her desk, her face stark. Several of her teachers were there also. What caught her attention was the petite woman with blonde hair and her husband in the back.

"Aunt Luna!" Rose said happily, and bounded over to her. She embraced her happily and felt a little better about whatever news Uncle Harry had to tell them. "I thought you were on some sort of expedition thing," Rose kept her voice low, smiling happily.

"Indeed, we were. We were on our way back, but Professor McGonagall called us for the meeting. I also heard that you and my Lorcan..."

"Oh that," Rose flushed and shook her head, "He was my cover story. I had to meet Uncle Harry,"

"I see," She saw Aunt Luna smile secretly at her husband. Rose had never been that fond of him, but nevertheless she smiled politely. "We found a trail of honey toed bander snatches, but unfortunately couldn't find them."

Rose smiled, "Sounds fun..." She could think of plenty of other things she'd rather do, but Aunt Luna didn't need to know that.

"Everyone!" McGonagall's voice rang out, commanding everyone's attention. Rose nearly jumped and faced forward, seeing Harry's Patronus appear before her eyes. It looked like smoke, slithering around the room before it took shape.

Soon enough a stag was looking at them expectantly. "The Death Eaters have uncovered an old ritual that allows them to harness the moon's power and bring back the dead."

Rose felt all the strength drain from her body and her stomach drop from out under her. She felt her throat close up and saw Aunt Luna leaning into her husband. Rose looked around her to see everyone's expressions. Everyone looked aghast and Rose could feel their fear. Everyone but her knew what it was like to experience a war. No doubt they were reliving it all in those few seconds.

"That's not all." Harry's Patronus spoke. "They already tested it out."

"Who did they bring back?" Rose asked, seeing that everyone looked like they had swallowed a frog.

"Bellatrix Lestrange,"

Rose had heard stories about her. She didn't have anything to say to Harry's revelation, but Neville did. It wasn't until Neville smashed a nearby vase and stormed out of the room that Rose remembered what Bellatrix had done to Neville's family. And that her grandma had killed her.

"We are at war," Harry's Patronus spoke, "There is no way that the Order will sit by now. We must act. Rose, I need you to do this. Our spy had just returned and we know that Malfoy was present when the ritual was performed."

Rose's breath was literally taken out of her. It was hard to wrap her mind around everything. It was then that she realized that a part of her had been hoping that Scorpius had nothing to do with whatever was going on. But how could he not? It was his family. It was his home.

She nodded. "I will. I won't let any of you down,"

"Sweetie..." Aunt Luna said, placing her hand on Rose's shoulder. "It'll be okay," She consoled, pulling Rose into a hug. That was when Rose realized that her eyes had been tearing up.

It was just hard to believe. She'd known Scorpius Malfoy since she was eleven. She'd seen him grow up, and even though their relationship had been nothing but disdain and the occasional flirty comment from his end, she didn't want him to be in something as awful as the Death Eaters.

"I'm fine," She pulled away and gave Aunt Luna her best smile. "I've just gotta get to work. Lots of homework and with all the spying I'm gonna have to do... you know. Enough to drive a girl insane,"

Aunt Luna disagreed, saying that chasing a melancholy yellow bellied dragonfly was enough to drive a girl insane.

"Constant vigilance," Harry's Patronus spoke, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and mist and then it was gone for good.

Rose took the steps two by two, looking for James. She didn't care how mad he was at her. She needed to talk to him. She needed the map, but she also needed a good laugh. And his friendship. She needed James. James, her big brother. James, the guy that's been around since she was born. James, the guy that taught her half of everything she knew.

It wasn't hard. She knew that he had Charms during this hour. She didn't know how long it took her to run from the Headmistress' Office to the Charms room. All she knew was that she was focused on keeping her tears in. She didn't expect anyone to be in the halls at this time, in the middle of class.

But someone was.

Someone she didn't want to see.

Someone who was the last person she wanted to see ever.

Scorpius Malfoy was walking towards her.

His hands were clenched at his side and he looked like she had just received some bad news. She stopped running the second she saw him and took several deep breaths. She had been doing a lot of running today. Too much, in fact, she decided.

"Rose?" His voice was like a dagger to her already pounding heart. It was so hard to believe, looking at him, that he was in with the Death Eaters. Looking at him, all she saw was the eleven year old boy that pushed her down the stairs or the fourteen year old that told her she was pretty.

"What happened?" He asked, his hands gripping her shoulders. Rose shook her head and tried to break free. "Rose-" He tried again, his voice growing more forceful.

"No," Rose muttered, struggling, "I'm fine... I need to find James."

"Okay," Scorpius said, and then let go. "Lets go get him."

"I can go on my own," Rose said, looking at him. This time, she saw him for what he was. He wasn't an eleven year old boy anymore than she was an eleven year old girl. They had both grown up and they had both made their own choices. This was where their lives diverged. They might have both been Slytherins, but that was the only thing they had in common now.

"Rose-"

"No. I'm fine." As she walked away, she didn't look back, she didn't cry, she didn't do anything but remember her first day as a Slytherin.

_Why can't we see  
>That when we bleed, we bleed the same<br>_Map of the Problematique, Muse


	6. Runaway

Chapter Six: Runaway

_First Year_

It had been the longest train ride of her life. She was grateful that James, Albus, Victoire, and Teddy were there for her. It was nice of them to let her ride with them, as she was a lowly first year.

"Gryffindor, Rose!" James screeched, wrapping his scarf around her. She smiled happily at him and tossed another jelly bean into her mouth.

"Hell yeah!" Teddy echoed, struggling with his tie. Victoire giggled and helped him.

Rose couldn't remember feeling this excited and this nervous all at the same time. She thought that it was too much for a single eleven year old to experience. She knew that everyone wanted her to be sorted into Gryffindor. Actually, everyone just expected her to be sorted into Gryffindor. And how could they not? Everyone in her family had been in Gryffindor since... well, since the beginning of time, it seemed. Gryffindor was the home of the brave, the place for all the greatest wizards. And Rose wanted to be the best.

She had grown up around Gryffindor pride. When James, Victoire, and Teddy went off to Hogwarts when they turned eleven, Rose remembered seeing them off with the rest of the Weasleys and Potters. They had been told that Gryffindor was the best and nothing else mattered. When the three of them wrote home to say they had been sorted to Gryffindor, she could have sworn it looked like everyone wanted to throw a party.

Rose was praying for Gryffindor. She didn't want to disappoint her family or her friends. And why would she want to be in any other house? Slytherin was for all the evil people, Ravenclaw for the nerds, and Hufflepuffs for... everyone else?

Getting off the train was the single most terrifying thing she had ever done. James gave her a playful shove before disappearing with the rest of the Quidditch team. It was Victoire that gave her a warm smile and wished her luck before she had to leave with the rest of the first years.

Rose had met Hagrid plenty of times. He had been around at all the family functions and was one of her parents closest friends. He had tried to give her a baby three headed dog for her last birthday. Seeing him made her feel a little better, so did the hug he gave her quickly as she walked by him. It wasn't until he whispered his luck about the impending sorting that her insides did something funny.

When she got into the boat, it rocked beneath her, scaring her even more. She squealed and quickly gripped the edge. Everything was dark, save for the light from the lanterns. Rose had never really been afraid of the dark, but out here, she could say that she was. It was an uncomfortable feeling, not being able to see properly. It made her feel weak and vulnerable.

The air was cold.

She looked around, trying to get her bearings. The boat continued to rock as more people were loaded on. Why was this a tradition? Sticking a bunch of eleven year olds on some rickety boats so they could row to the castle in the darkness. Yeah, welcome to Hogwarts, if you can make it across the lake without dying, you know you're meant to be here.

"Hi," A voice from next to her said. Rose looked over, her teeth chattering. There was a girl sitting next to her, her hair tied up and her arms wrapped around herself. "I'm Megan."

"R-r-rose," Rose whispered, her teeth chattering too much.

Megan smiled, "Do you have any siblings?"

"Y-yeah. A brother. But he's younger. But I have friends here. They're all in Gryffindor," Rose smiled, proud. Gryffindor. The best house there was. The greatest. The house she would be in. The house her family was in. The house of everyone that had ever done something incredible.

"Cool. I'm the oldest so..."

"What house do you want to be in?" Rose asked.

"Well, my mom was in Ravenclaw and my dad was in Gryffindor." Megan said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh," Rose said, "Maybe we'll be in Gryffindor together."

"Maybe!" Megan smiled brightly, and Rose instantly felt better about the ride across the lake. She had a friend... or someone to talk to. Someone to grab to grab onto if the boat started to sink.

The ride wasn't that bad. It was really the wind that made it scary. The boat rocked in the wind and there were times that Rose thought it was going to collapse and they'd have to swim the rest of the way. She told this to Megan.

"We'd never make it. There are... things in the Black Lake..." Megan said, her face flushing. Rose cautiously peered over the edge of the boat, but all she saw was darkness. She couldn't see a thing in the water. She had heard Uncle Harry talk about mermaids before. Either way, she decided to find out for herself if there was anything in the lake.

"Oi! Firs' years!" Hagrid's voice boomed from his own boat, behind them. "Look!"

Rose looked. The castle was beginning to peer up at them. It stretched up in the sky, intimidating and also stunning. Rose's breath caught as she took it all in. She had seen pictures of Hogwarts Castle, but nothing compared to seeing it in person. Especially from the darkness on the lake, shivering in her damp clothes. It was beautiful and she never wanted to forget this moment.

Megan nudged her side and Rose looked at her. They both giggled.

As amazing as the view was, Rose was relieved to reach dry land. Her legs were wobbly as she climbed out, but she instantly felt better once she began walking towards the castle. She and Megan stayed close to each other the whole time. They were in the middle of the group, so all around them Rose could hear everyone's anxious chatter.

She thought about James and Albus' first year. She wondered how they felt now. Were they confident?

They were told to form two lines. Megan quickly hurried behind her. Rose looked around, trying to locate the voice. She was a tall woman, her face stern. "My name is Professor McGonagall, your Headmistress,"

Rose knew about her. She had heard all about her from her parents and Uncle Harry. Mrs. McGonagall was the head of Gryffindor house. She was well liked by her family, but Rose had also been warned about her strictness.

"You will properly behave yourselves. You are about to entire the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. Following which you will join your respective house tables. Am I understood?"

Rose nodded, feeling like her stomach was about to open up. She wasn't hungry in the slightest. She knew the feast was after. She couldn't understand how anyone could want to eat a time like this. Soon enough, a pair of towering doors opened in front of them, and they were parading into the Great Hall.

Rose couldn't breath. Having Megan walking behind her didn't give her any reassurance. She felt more alone than ever, surrounded by the entire Hogwarts population. All around her were tables with groups of people, all cheering.

"Yeah! First years!" James voice caught her attention. She quickly turned her head, and found him clapping like a mad man. He winked at her and continued to cheer. Next to him was Albus who said, "Yeah, Rose!"

Rose smiled and waved. She suddenly didn't feel so afraid. She would be sorted into Gryffindor and get to go celebrate with James and the others. They were confident enough for her. She just had to trust them. They would also help her out, show her around. She'd be fine as long as she was with them. They were her family.

She stopped short, realizing she was about to collide with the boy in front of her. She stood as the Sorting Hat was uncovered and it began to sing. She was a volatile, unsteady. She should have been listening to the song, but couldn't bring herself to focus. She'd listen to it next year, as a confident second year, calm and collected at her house table with all her friends. She didn't need to listen now. She'd hear the song sic more times before she graduated.

"Abbot, Gemini, " McGonagall's voice rang out, from her spot in the front by the stool with the hat. The sorting had begun.

Rose looked around, trying to not focus on the hat. The hat that would put her in Gryffindor. The hat that _had_ to put her in Gryffindor. If it didn't... no, she had to believe.

The Great Hall was overwhelming. Rose focused on the ceiling. The nigh sky looked beautiful from her spot.

"Hufflepuff!" Rose's neck snapped to look at what was happening. Gemini Abbot was hopping down from the stool, smiling happily. She bounded over to a table that was cheering and waving her over.

"Aran, Basil," A small boy stepped up and took his spot on the stool.

It seemed like it would go on forever. Rose looked around. There were at least forty of them, crowded around, all anxious and waiting for their turn. W would never come. She'd stand here forever.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" It was the name that got Rose's attention. Scorpio was a zodiac sign. It was for passionate, determined, obsessive people. She remembered Victoire reading a Muggle magazine one day. She had fallen in love with astrology and made Rose remember them all. Victoire had said something about Scorpios being sexy.

There was something else about the name that got Rose's attention. Malfoy. She remembered the surname. Her father had mentioned it at the train station. She had only glimpsed him before her mom was crushing her into a hug. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered her parents' war stories. Malfoy was a pureblood family, she knew. Weren't they also Slytherins? Didn't they not get along with Uncle Harry or her family?

The hat had barely touched Scorpius' head before it yelled out, "Slytherin!"

Rose watched as Scorpius jumped off the stool and went happily, with his head raised, to a table that was crowded with green and silver. They welcomed him with open arms, almost as if they had been waiting for him. Rose's nose crinkled.

Soon it was Megan's turn and she walked towards the hat nervously. Rose watched and clenched her fists. She was nervous. Megan had to get Gryffindor, then she would, and they'd be best friends.

But Megan didn't get Gryffindor.

In fact, it took the hat several moments before it shouted out, "Ravenclaw!"

Rose's heart fell into her stomach. She watched as Megan opened her eyes and smiled in the direction of the cheering Ravenclaw table. She jumped off the stool and then before running over, looked for Rose. Rose perked up a little and smiled when she saw Megan give her a thumbs up.

And then she was gone. A Ravenclaw.

More people went and Rose continued to try and pass the time as best as she could. She fiddled with her thumbs, looked up at the ceiling, mentally played I Spy. Sometimes she'd look around for Megan or James and the others. Usually they were holding their own conversations. There was only one time Victoire caught her eye and smiled.

The group around Rose grew smaller and smaller. Her stomach was gurgling nervously. She hated that she was a ball of emotions. She wanted to feel one thing. Either nervousness or confidence. She didn't want to be going back and forth, so unsure of everything.

"Weasley, Rose!" McGonagall's voice finally said.

Rose felt her face turn pale and her vision turned pink for a moment before she took her first step towards the stool. Was it her imagination, or had it suddenly gone silent? With a gulp, she took her seat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head and Rose squeezed her eyes shut.

"Another Weasley," The hat said in her ear. Rose nearly jumped, but reminded herself that that was normal. "Will I ever be finished with you?" She wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer that. Like when her mom took her to her grandparent's dentist office and they tried to ask her questions while they were cleaning her teeth.

"Well, you're a tough one. So different from the others..." The hat went on, obviously not caring that she hadn't answered him. "Strong willed, yes... intuitive, anxious... why anxious? You want great things..."

Rose peeked out of one eye. She saw the entire Great Hall staring at her. Instead of shutting her eyes in fear, she opened both of them and lessened her grip on the stool.

"Confident," The hat went on. Rose's breathing relaxed and she looked around at everyone. "You are quite a challenge... brave, calculating... I see you like strategies..."

Rose saw the Gryffindor table. She saw that now James, Albus, Victoire, and Teddy were silent, looking at her. She couldn't see their expressions, but she figured that all the waiting was beginning to worry them.

"You love your family... you want to be great. I can make you great..." The hat purred, "But I need to know which you prefer."

"Would you just pick something already?" Rose finally screeched.

Rose saw the entire hall react. She hadn't thought she said it that loud, but in the silence it must have carried over. There were gasps of surprise and suddenly everyone was talking. McGonagall and the rest of the teachers tried to bring order back but it was too late.

The hat laughed and proclaimed loudly over the noise, "Slytherin!"

The talking stopped at that moment. Rose couldn't breath. Slytherin? She had been put into Slytherin? What happened to Gryffindor? What happened to everyone else in her family? What happened to generations and generations of Weasleys? And did it have to be Slytherin? Her family hated Slytherin house!

She was about to turn around and yell at the hat when it was lifted off her head and McGonagall was calling the next person forward. Rose stepped down but didn't move. There was no table calling her over. There was just silence.

In panic, she looked for James and the others. They were all open mouthed in shock. Rose's heart was pounding, her face turning red. She couldn't stop the tears that were welling in her eyes. She had failed. She was a Slytherin. The worst thing she could possibly be. It felt like the world was spinning.

Slowly there became applause from the Slytherin table. She reluctantly walked over, remembering to hold her head high. She knew that Slytherins were proud. She took a seat at the end of the table and looked around at her new... family.

They were eyeing her oddly, like she might have been some sort of mutant alien. She probably was. After all, she was a half-blood. She was scum to them. Not to mention she considered the Potters to be family. What was she doing here?

She looked at the hat, but he was already sorting someone else. What could she say? And what could she do? Once you were sorted, you were sorted. She looked around, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

In defeat, she sighed and looked at the Gryffindor table. She saw that Albus, Victoire, Teddy, and James were all looking at her. She felt her heart break at the distance between them. They were only a few tables away, but it seemed as big as the Grand Canyon, which they had all gone to see together at the beginning of summer. She didn't think that things would ever be the same.

No one spoke to her. When the feast began, she hardly touched any of the food. She stared at her plate for most of it. It wasn't until McGonagall began going over announcements for the year that Rose looked around at her new housemates.

They didn't look evil.

"Listen, Weaselette," A tall boy with dark hair said when she caught his eye, "You might be a Slytherin now-"

"I have a name." Rose said, glaring at him. There were some chuckles from around her.

"This one's got a mouth on her," Someone said.

"Fiery," Another chirped, "Like her hair,"

"Why do you think she's a Slytherin?" Scorpius Malfoy said. Rose turned her head to look at him. He was sitting across from her, a few seats down. He was smirking at her before he turned to the boy that spoke to her first. "You might want to learn her name,"

The boy glared at her. "You might be a Slytherin now, but that does not make you one of us."

Rose continued to glare. "Good. What makes you think I want to be one?"

"This has got to be some sort of a joke." The boy hissed, looking at McGonagall, "The old bat had better do something about this. There's nothing Slytherin about her!"

Scorpius was still smirking at her, "I disagree."

Rose shot him a nasty look, "You don't know me."

"I don't need to," Scorpius replied, "You're here, I'm here. That's all there is to it. Now, hush, we're missing announcements."

Rose felt like she was going to scream. But she was too emotionally tired from the entire day to do anything but look away. McGonagall said something about prefects escorting first years to their Houses' dorms, so Rose stayed put as everyone else began to stand and exit the hall. Scorpius slid down the bench so that he was sitting across from her, but neither said anything.

"Rose!" She heard James calling her. She turned around and saw him and the others running over to her through the crowd. She stood up, but her feet felt glued to the floor. She waited, eagerly accepting his hug. "This is awful!" She muttered into his strong chest, finally feeling like things were going to be okay. James was here. He would fix it.

"What do we do?" Rose asked, pulling away.

James looked at her, "We'll find a way to fix this," He turned and looked at Teddy and Albus. They nodded and Victoire came over to hug her. "It'll be okay, I promise."

Rose felt a little better, but when she looked at her friends she knew that it was hopeless. She was going to be a Slytherin forever. She didn't want to write home. What would she say? _Hey dad, you know that house you think is evil and can't stand? I got sorted into it! Surprise! Write soon!_

Her family would be crushed. She was the one that broke the tradition.

"Man," Albus said, slapping her shoulder, "what you did took guts,"

"Huh?" Rose asked.

"Snapping at the hat," Teddy said, "I don't think anyone has ever done that before,"

"Maybe you pissed it off, that's why it put you there," James said with a cheeky smile.

Rose's face paled. Could that be true? "Woah, woah," James said, grabbing her shoulder, "I was kidding. Lighten up."

"Lighten up?" Rose asked, "How am I supposed to lighten up? I'm in _Slytherin!_ My dad is going to disown me!"

"Hey, hey," Victoire came over and hugged her, "No, he won't. It'll be okay, I promise. We'll work it out. But for now, get some sleep."

"Potters, Weasley," A voice said from behind them. They all turned and Rose saw the Slytherin prefects. "I believe you're not supposed to be here," The slimy haired prefect looked at Rose and smirked, "Except this Weasley."

"Shove off," James said, "It's a table."

Rose didn't want them to leave. She was about to say something, when all four of them were hugging her tightly. "Stay strong," Albus said in her ear, before they all pulled away. Rose watched them leave, her heart twisting. She was supposed to be leaving with them. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"First years!" The Slytherin prefects said, "This way to the dungeons!"

Dungeons? Rose shivered. What happened to Gryffindor Tower? Why wasn't there a Slytherin Tower? A tower sounded nice and warm. A dungeon sounded cold and wet.

"Come on Weaslette," Scorpius said in her ear, darting passed her.

She glared and at that moment decided that she was going to be the best damned Slytherin there ever was. The Sorting Hat must have put her here for a reason. He knew she wanted to be great. He had said things that were all true about her. So he must have put her in the right place. If she was meant to be a Slytherin, she would be a Slytherin.

Rose straightened up. She held her head high and tried her best to saunter like the others around her. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

_I just wanna fall and lose myself  
><em>_Laughing so hard it hurts like hell  
><em>_Forget about everything and run away, yeah  
><em>_So so's how I'm doing, if you're wondering  
><em>_I'm in a fight with the world but I'm winning  
><em>Runaway, Avril Lavigne


	7. Time Bomb

Chapter Seven: Time Bomb

_February 16_

Rose had to admit, staying up late was a stupid idea. For all six years that she had been a Slytherin, she had never particularly grown accustomed to the common room dungeon set up they had going on around here. She had dedicated her life to staying away from the common room as much as possible. She usually studied in library, outside by the lake, in her room... anywhere but the common room.

But tonight she had to cram for her Potions exam the next day. She had been procrastinating and now it was here to bite her in the ass. James had told her that he'd review with her, but it turned out he had Quidditch practice all day and knocked out as soon as he got to his room. It was too cold to study outside, so Rose hadn't even tried. The library was out because all the sixth years were studying there and they were exceptionally loud. And by this time it was closed. Her room? She had been studying there for awhile, but by now all the girls were asleep and snoring loudly.

Sitting by herself in the common room seemed like the best choice. She had lit a fire and turned on all the lights. Once she forgot where she was, it became easier to focus on her notes and soon enough she was so in the zone that she didn't even realize it was approaching two in the morning.

The thing about the dungeons was that it was always cold. No matter how many lights or fires were burning brightly. Rose tugged on her blanket and took a sip of her now cold tea. She refilled the cup with a simple spell and went right back to studying. She never noticed the squid swimming right outside her window- a perk of their common room, depending on how you looked at it.

She hated herself when she procrastinated. She didn't do it often, but when she did it was always on something huge, not like a tiny test that wouldn't do anything to her average. She was a perfect blend of both her parents that way.

The last thing Rose expected was for anyone to be coming in.

The slam of the door above caused her to jump. Rose's breath hitched and she quickly grabbed her wand that was sitting on the couch next to her. She jumped up and tugged on the blanket, trying to cover herself. She was only wearing pajama pants and a tank top. It was, after all, an ungodly hour in the morning and she was supposed to be asleep.

_Who could it be_? She thought, hoping to Merlin it wasn't a Death Eater. _Don't be ridiculous! How would a Death Eater get in Hogwarts?_

It was coming down the stairs. Whoever it was, they were taking a very long time. Rose stood up slowly, the blanket around her shoulders and held her hand with the wand out. She took a few steps to the stairs and waited.

There was a low moan from above her, followed by heavy breathing. The steps became slower, but heavier. Whatever boots this person was wearing, they were big and heavy.

Rose's heart was slamming against her chest. She had no idea what to do. Should she reveal herself? Or wait? Her mind was trying to come up with what the best plan would be. Which would suit her better? It took her too long to decide, because the person reached the bottom of the stairs and she stared dumbly.

The bloody face of Scorpius Malfoy was what greeted her.

Rose nearly screamed and took a step back in her shock. Her hand that was holding the blanket to her body flew to her mouth, making the blanket fall silently to the floor. She could physically feel and hear her pulse. It was fast. Her breathing was rapid and her eyes as wide as they could go.

The only thing that brought her back to the present was another pitiful moan from Scorpius. Since she had all the lights on, she could see him easily. She saw that his eyes were closed and he olny had time to mutter, "Weasley..." before falling forward.

Rose did her best to catch him. She attempted to maneuver him to the couch, which was no easy task, especially with all his complaining. "Really, Weasley..." He groaned again, "Is that the... b-best you... can d-do?"

"Stop your whining or I'll just leave you here," She growled, dragging him to the nearest piece of furniture she could find.

"Ow! Would you... stop it?" He huffed, his eyes squeezed shut, in what Rose assumed to be pain.

She felt a stab of pity for him, but then he opened his mouth to complain some more. Her pity instantly ebbed away. "You are such a _GIT!_" She shrieked, finally reaching the couch.

"There is no reason to wail like a banshee, Rosie. I believe that I'm the one that's been having the worse night."Scorpius said, with all his usual wit and charm. He flashed a smile at her, like he wasn't lying bloody and broken on the couch with blood oozing from his stomach and possibly his forehead.

Rose rolled her eyes and tugged on his shirt. "Really, Rosie, I've always known you've wanted me, but I never imagined that our first time would be like this," He was smiling devilishly at her, which caught her completely off-guard. Wasn't he supposed to be screaming in pain? Or at least acting like he was dying?

"Would you just shut up? You're hurt. Let me help you," She tried again. She wasn't the greatest at healing spells, but she knew how to make a bandage. If she could just stop the bleeding, then she could take him to the nurse.

"I can't imagine why we've only had five years of foreplay." This time he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She huffed and sat back on the couch. He was making this increasingly difficult. She decided it was time to go for a different approach. "How did you even get this bruised? Even you can't piss someone off this much,"

At that, his expression changed. He wasn't acting deliriously drunk anymore. Now his face turned gravely seriously and since his near fall minutes ago, he finally looked like he was in pain. Rose bit her lip, but never averted her eyes. She watched as his eyes dropped down to his lap and stayed there for a while.

When he finally looked up he said, "Oh yes, I can."

"What?" Rose asked, perplexed.

"Piss someone off. Come on, Rosie, get your head in the game." He smiled again, like nothing was wrong. Like he didn't just get a very faraway look in his eye. Like she wasn't Rose Weasley and he wasn't Scorpius Malfoy. Like they weren't fighting on different sides. Like they were friends. Like this wasn't one of the only civil conversations they'd had. This was probably a snapshot of what her life could have been, Rose thought, if she wasn't a Weasley. Sitting on a couch with someone as handsome as Scorpius Malfoy, bantering.

But Rose would never have a simple life. Instead of bantering with Scorpius Malfoy, Rose was faced with a bloody and possibly dying version of Scorpius Malfoy. She didn't have time to worry about her skimpy tank top or that her hair was probably hanging unflatteringly around her face. She couldn't think about the bags under her eyes and worry if Scorpius noticed. She didn't have the luxury to be a normal girl.

Rose thought about asking him if he wanted to be a normal guy sometimes. She wanted to ask him if he ever wondered what it would be like to be a normal guy with her. But when she opened her mouth to speak she said, "We need to get you to the infirmary."

His eyes widened and he moved to grab her arm. Rose stopped, mid motion of standing up. She looked down at his hand on her wrist. She didn't want to say that her whole body flamed at his touch, but it did.

"No," He said. She raised her eyes to meet his. They were so grey. So stormy. She wondered what he was thinking about. If he thought her skin was soft. Or about how much he desperately needed her to keep this a secret.

"You need help!" She whisper shouted, suddenly very aware that their fellow housemates were probably fast asleep.

"So help me," He said simply.

"I can't."

"Sure you can," He shrugged. He let go of her arm and leaned back against the couch. With his eyes closed he grimaced, before saying, "You're Rose Weasley."

Because that would solve everything. She rolled her eyes and pathetically stomped her foot. "I'll have to do it the Muggle way."

At that, his eyes snapped open. He looked genuinely frightened for the first time all night. More so than when he thought she was going to drag him to the nurse. Rose quirked an eyebrow at him, "The Muggle way,"

"Why can't you use a spell?" He squeaked.

"Because _I don't know them_," She said to him, using her voice she reserved for when James, Albus, Teddy, or Hugo asked her a stupid question.

"That's a first," Scorpius muttered, and then winced when he felt a pinch on his arm. "Hey! I'm injured!" He looked at Rose, whose wand was candidly pointed at him.

"Could have fooled me, Mr. Foreplay,"

Scorpius smiled dreamily at her. "Really, Rosie. _Why_ have we had five years of it?" He seemed like he really wanted an answer from her.

She turned away, "I need to get my first aid kit. It's in my room. Stay put,"

"Yeah, because I was thinking of going salsa dancing!" He called after her, which made her roll her eyes.

In her room, she pulled the kit out from under her bed as quietly as she could. She surveyed the room and was happy to see everyone asleep. Their steady breathing and quiet snores suddenly reminded her how tired she was. She wished she could stop and check her appearance in the mirror, but she didn't want to risk waking anyone up. She grabbed a hair tie on her way out and put her hair up in a messy bun. She didn't need it in the way when she performed her big open heart surgery.

In the common room, Scorpius was squirming uncomfortably on the couch. In alarm she saw that he was breaking out in a cold sweat. She crouched down next to him and unbuttoned his shirt. He groaned, "This wasn't how I imagined you doing this."

"Do you not think of anything else?" Rose asked, trying to calm the beating of her heart. It didn't just have to do with being this close to Scorpius and undressing him. It also had to do with the fact that her medical training went as far as CPR and bandaging up Hugo when he'd hurt his knee.

"Not at all," He muttered, and slid out of his shirt.

Rose took in the cut. It went deep. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Pour hydrogen peroxide in it? Bandage it? She settled for grabbing a towel and dabbing the wound as gently as she could.

Scorpius kept his eyes shut and his teeth gritted. When Rose decided that it was time to move on, she cleaned the towel with a simple wave of her wand and then poured hydrogen peroxide onto it. "This will sting," She warned, the towel braced in her hand.

Scorpius opened one eye and looked at her. "Like... how bad?"

"Pretty bad," She deadpanned, looking at him.

"I'd ask you to hold my hand, but I think you need it,"

"Just think of whatever pervy fantasy you prefer." Rose rolled her eyes.

"So I have full permission to imagine you-"

"Stop!" Rose said loudly. She took pleasure in seeing him chuckle before wincing. He shut his eyes and nodded, which Rose took as her signal to begin.

When she was finished disinfecting it as best as she could, she took out a big role of gauze and began to wrap the wound. When she finished, she found that Scorpius was looking up at her. For once, he wasn't smirking or glaring. He was just looking at her, his expression blank. And then he did something she never would have expected.

He leaned up and kissed her.

On the cheek.

It took Rose a full second to realize what was happening, and then it was over. She looked down at him and saw that he was wincing again. "Note to self, do not bend while stomach is ripped open,"

She rolled her eyes and pushed the kiss from her mind. She needed to think about cleaning up his face. She took a fresh cloth and wet it with warm water. She worked her hand around his face, wiping away the sweat and grim. Dried blood was washed away. When she reached the wound, she saw that it was only a cut that had already stopped bleeding.

"What happened?" She asked, sitting across from him once all the healing had been done.

"I fell," He said simply, not looking at her.

"Oh, really? You fell?" She scoffed. Even she was a better liar than that. What Slytherin couldn't lie?

"Yup," Scorpius deadpanned, "Nothing to it,"

"Gravity kicked you in the balls?" Rose asked, still studying him.

"Pretty much."

"I better watch out for that gravity," She whispered.

He looked at her. His eyes bore into hers, startling her. "Yes," He said forcefully, his voice never wavering, "You should,"

"And the dragons?" She asked, leaning closer.

"Them too," He whispered.

Rose didn't remember falling asleep. When she opened her eyes several hours later, it was because her clock was ringing, alerting her to the fact that it was six in the morning and she had a big Potions test today. Her Potions book, however, was sitting on the table by the couch in the common room.

She showered, pulled on her uniform, and then headed to the Great Hall. Breakfast was hard to swallow as all she could think about was blood. She decided that she could rule out a healer on her list of possible careers.

James and the others greeted her across the hall and the thought of blood left her mind as she remembered seeing him after that meeting.

* * *

><p>James caught her by the shoulders. "Hey, hey," He whispered, his hands going up to cradle her face. "What's wrong?" His face was full of concern, all signs of anger washed away. It was something she loved about him. His love for people, no matter what. James would never push her away, no matter if she was the person he hated most in the world at that particular moment, which she suspected she was right now.<p>

She sniffled and shook her head, "It's all so wrong,"

"Okay, okay," He cooed, and began to pull her along. "We're gonna go outside by the lake, okay?"

"But it's cold outside," She whimpered, pathetically, following along.

"I know," He answered, patiently, as if he was talking to a baby. "But I think you could use some fresh air."

She didn't object after that and followed him outside like a good little soldier. They walked towards her favorite oak tree by the lake. Not once did he complain about the cold and their ill-fitting attire. The wind ripped through her, turning the tears on her face to icicles. She stopped crying and stayed curled in James' arm.

They sat down once they reached the tree. "Now," James said, looking at her, "Tell me what's wrong..."

Rose wasn't sure where to begin, so she picked a random spot. "Everything. The world is falling apart. The Death Eaters have a list of all the aurors and their families. People are _dying_. And- and- and... they found this spell they can do with the moon to bring back the dead. And they brought Bellatrix Lestrange back."

At that, James swore under his breath. He didn't add any objection to her story beyond that, so Rose decided to keep going. "And your dad says that they have confirmation that the Malfoys are working with them. It's just so weird, because we've known Scorpius and yeah, he's a git, but I never thought he was evil."

James scoffed there. "I mean, he's done stupid things, but I've been in the same house with him since we were eleven. Now we're sixteen, it's just like, man, I know you. I know your habits and I see you every single day whether I want to or not. We've had some civil moments together. After he pushed me down the stairs second year and you tried to murder him, he's never been particularly evil to me."

"What are you trying to say?" James cut in, looking at her like she had grown three heads. "Do you... _like_ Malfoy?"

Rose thought about this. The cold made her teeth chatter and she was hyperaware of everything around her. She could hear James' breathing and the ruffling in the branches above them from a squirrel. She finally decided that, "Well... I don't hate him," was the safest answer she could give. It was also the most honest.

James' mouth dropped. She spoke before he could say anything, "Come on James, we are both Slytherins. We've been roomies for five years. We cheer for the same team and get house points for the same house. The Slytherins are a part of my family, just like the Gryffindors are part of your family."

James didn't seem to like this comparison. "You might be a Slytherin, but you are nothing like him or the others."

Rose smiled at him, "Yes, I am. But it's okay."

After that James was silent for awhile. She decided that she should follow his cue, so they sat for awhile, staring at the frozen lake. Rose thought about the giant mutant squid that supposedly lived under there. What was it doing now that the surface was frozen? Was it hibernating? Was is swimming around in a pacing manner, trying to figure out how to break it?

"So what else is wrong with the world?" James asked, looking at her.

"I think that's all for now." Rose murmured.

"Good, cause I'm frozen. There's only so much a guy can take." He hauled himself for his feet before reaching down to take her hand and pull her up. Rose happily obliged and they walked- ran, back into the safety and warmth of the castle.

Once they made it inside, Rose wondered why she didn't have her trusty scarf with her. She also thought that they should have ran while they were outside. It would have kept them warm.

Now, in the present, she waved at James from across the room and then focused on getting some nutrients in her. Oberon sat down next to her and they exchanged greetings. He had his Potions notes out and she eagerly joined his study club.

"Oh my gosh, Rose!" Daphne sat down next to her, smiling giddily. Rose sighed, she knew this wouldn't be good.

She eyed Daphne lazily, "Yes?"

"Have you heard the rumor?" Daphne squealed.

"Probably not. Probably don't care," She took a sip of her juice and held one of Oberon's sheets in front of her.

"Scorpius Malfoy has a," She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned close to Rose's ear, "_secret girlfriend!"_

Rose choked on her juice, but thankfully nothing came flying out on Oberon's notes. Oberon quickly grabbed his paper from Rose's hand and cradled it, "It's okay, the evil lady never meant to hurt you."

He shot her a glare which she happily returned, before turning back to Daphne. "What?"

Daphne nodded eagerly. "He sneaks out to meet her. That's where he was last night,"

Rose mentally scoffed. If a girl could do that to Malfoy then, that was one tough bitch.

"And!" Daphne said again, "The Ministry is coming to Hogwarts!"

This time the juice came flying out of her mouth.

"NO! MY NOTES!"

_It was like a time bomb set into motion  
><em>_We knew that we were destined to explode  
><em>_And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage  
><em>_You know I'm never gonna let you go  
><em>_We're like a time bomb  
><em>Time Bomb, All Time Low

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everyone. I'd appreciate it if you could leave a little review :) This story keeps getting 'alerts' and 'favs' but not a lot of reviews and it makes me sad :( This song was what really prompted this story, the idea of two people that really have no chance of working, so I was really happy when I got to write this. Anyway, I'm busying working on chapter 15 now, lots of fun stuff coming up :) So please, please, please review. **


	8. This Ain't the Summer of Love

Chapter Eight: This Ain't the Summer of Love

_February 18_

Rose got a ninety three on her Potions test. She decided this was good since she only got a few hours of sleep due to _someone_ walking into the common room all bloody. Said person then proceeded to flirt like nothing was wrong and give away clues about whatever the psycho Death Eaters were planning. It was perfect since tonight was another Order meeting!

Also, Rose was a little tipsy.

It's so unlike her to get tipsy, especially with such an important meeting happening tonight. But there was this _huge_- like giraffes and Big Ben had a baby huge- fight between James and the Gryffindors against Scorpius and his darling Slytherins. And on top of all that fun there was the whole Ministry coming dilemma.

But the fight? They went Muggle style at one point. Oh yeah, no wands just bare hands. James had a black eye and Scorpius a bloody lip. Rose had gotten herself into the center at that moment, preventing either one of them from doing anymore damage. So after that she headed for the Slytherins private stash and went to wallow in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Which was stupid since, well, Rose couldn't take her whininess.

But somehow in her drunken, clearly-not-thinking-straight-because-she's-a-moron state of mind, she found herself _giggling_ like a mad woman with Moaning Myrtle.

They were seated in the second stall with the door wide open, the half empty bottle of firewhiskey once in Rose's hand, lying haphazardly on the floor. Rose's mouth was open and she was staring at some odd point on the wall ahead of her. Moaning Myrtle had been staring at the bottle in jealously, since, as a dead person, she could not drink the alcohol and be freely intoxicated, like her new best friend.

But after all the giggling and hiccuping, Moaning Myrtle decided that she was glad she couldn't get drunk. The novelty kind of wore off after awhile. Rose's eyes had begun to turn a little red around the edges and her nose was running. She had also been blubbering for quite some time. It kind of ruined the mood. Until Rose started laughing again. Myrtle joined in for the hell of it.

"And then there was this one time... I think I ate a sock," Myrtle honestly had no idea what Rose was talking about. Rose didn't either, but it sounded funny and Myrtle's laughter encouraged her to continue whatever weird story she was concocting in her head.

"And we drove this Muggle thing called a yacht into a rainbow. With unicorns that sparkled."

"Get out!" Myrtle laughed along, feeling drunk off the laughter.

That was how Lily found her some interminable time later. "Oh, Rose," She whispered, looking down at her friend in pity. "I know you've been having a tough couple of weeks, but you've gotta get it together. The night is darkest just before the dawn,"

"Batman said that," Rose squealed.

"Yeah," Lily said, watching Rose with concern, "So have lots of other famous people. Now come on, you've got a meeting you need to get sober for."

"No!" Myrtle screeched. She used her ghostly form to her advantage and disappeared, reappearing directly in front of Lily, who had been standing in the open doorway of their stall. "She's not leaving!"

"Uh..." Lily began, looking at Myrtle like she had grown a few extra heads (which she totally could if she wanted too. She had experimented with it once, but that was another story). "Yeah, she is."

"I forbid you to take my friend away from me!"

"Well, too bad, ghosty. Come on, Rose. My dad is not going to be pleased, he's counting on you. We all are." Lily said, walking straight through Myrtle, who was trying her hardest to stop Lily from taking Rose.

"I can lock you in here," Myrtle threatened. "Don't make it come to that."

"Dude, Lily, she _totally_ can. She's got this wicked mind control thing on objects!" Rose seemed delighted to share this fact.

"Yeah, it's called telekinesis." Lily huffed, "Man, how much have you had to drink?"

"A lot," Rose giggled, a hiccup escaping her.

"Rose, snap out of it. We have a lot of crap going on now, so you need to get it together."

"YOU ARE NOT LEAVING!" Myrtle wailed, her voice as high pitched as anything could go- the Fat Lady would have been jealous.

Rose winced and rubbed her temple. She pouted, "No shouting."

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're drunk _and _you have a hangover at the same time? You really are a virgin."

It took a few more Gryffindors (and James' Quidditch play book) to get them out of there in one piece. Also, if anyone wanted to use Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, that wouldn't be the best idea since she's really mad that: one, she couldn't get drunk on spirits, because she's a spirit, two, that Lily took her new best friend away, and three, because James threw a picture frame at her. Of course it went right through her, but she wasn't very happy if the wailing was any indication.

James, being a valiant gentleman, took the job of carrying Rose. Her head lolled on his shoulder before settling on the spot where his neck and shoulder met. She got bored on the walk- ride- to wherever they were going, so she began to blow cool air onto his neck.

James laughed. He was ticklish.

Outside, the air was cold and it woke her up. Lily joined them with some bread and a bottle of water. "You have got to get your crazy Rose crap together. We're counting on you. A lot is going on, and a lot more is gonna come so... come on Rose."

By now, James had put her gently on the grass, where she was lying down, staring up at the sky. She could feel her senses beginning to come back to her. Her mind wasn't as clouded. However, all she could think about was how she was hoping that she wouldn't vomit. She had heard about the aftermaths of getting drunk. She did not want to puke. Especially not in the meeting! That would be awful.

By the time the meeting rolled around, she had already vomited, though. She was in the clear for that. She felt like crap, though, so sitting through the entire meeting was very strenuous. It was hard to remember what she was supposed to tell Uncle Harry. She just knew it was important. Thankfully, it came back to her just in time. James had whipped her up his famous Hangover Cure All Potion and it was finally kicking in.

She went over the whole story from the beginning. How she had been in the common room studying late at night when Scorpius showed up all beaten and bloody. She was also fairly certain that the Death Eaters had dragons. Other than that, she had no other news.

Uncle Harry had his own news for her. "Find the mirror, Rose. Everything will be over when you find the mirror."

The following morning, was thankfully a Saturday. Rose opened her eyes. She blinked several times, trying to cloud her mind. She felt horrible. Slowly the puzzle pieces came back together. She tried to figure out what was real and what was just induced by the alcohol. She felt like a jerk.

A mirror. Something about a mirror. Had that been real? Had Uncle Harry told her about finding a mirror to stop it all? She rolled over in bed and buried her head into the pillow. How come that was the only thing about last night's meeting that she could remember? She would have to go speak to Uncle Neville.

Pulling herself out of bed was hard. Her head swam and it took awhile for her to find her balance. She showered with scorching water and made sure to scrub every inch of her, almost like she was washing the alcohol off her forever. She decided she was never drinking again. It was stupid and foolhardy, just like she always thought it was.

She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and went to find Uncle Neville. The halls were empty, most of the students hanging out in the Great Hall or their Common Rooms. There weren't too many people on the grounds due to the weather. Rose wrapped her trusty Slytherin scarf around her and jogged down to the herbology greenhouse. Sure enough, Uncle Neville was there.

He was standing between the long tables of plants, examining one closely. There was levitating clipboard and quill that was moving next to him. Rose grinned and then said, "Hey, Uncle Neville."

He looked up at her, smiling. "Morning, Rose. Are you feeling better?"

She nodded, "I need to talk to you about the meeting yesterday. Uncle Harry said something about a mirror, right?"

Uncle Neville nodded and looked around the room. He took out his wand and muttered a silencing charm. Then he walked over to her and stood in front of her. "We think it's called _Luna Oculo_- Latin for The Moon's Eye."

Rose huffed, "Seems like this whole ritual is rooted in Latin. Would I be able to find anything in the library?"

Uncle Neville shrugged, "It's worth a shot. I'm going to Diagon Alley next weekend. I'll try to find something in one of the shops then. Maybe riffle around Malfoy's things. He might know something."

Rose nodded. Uncle Neville filled her in on the rest of the meeting: the Ministry visit, disappearances, and rumors. Shortly after that she said goodbye and left. She was thinking about Scorpius. Did he know about the mirror? What exactly was he doing on the nights he left? Or maybe he had just left that one night. She didn't know for sure. Maybe she should go back to the common room late at night and see what happened.

And what about the Ministry? She didn't know who was coming to the school- Uncle Harry didn't have answers. Apparently it was a big secret in the Ministry, probably so no one could thwart their plan. It had to all be Death Eaters coming to the school. But what did they want? Some dusty Transfiguration books? Never had Ministry members just popped over to Hogwarts for a visit. So why would they? This couldn't be good.

She reached the Great Hall and headed for the Gryffindor table. James and everyone else was there, sitting with breakfast and The Daily Prophet. They smiled when they saw her and she joined them happily.

"Sleep well?" Victoire asked her with a grin.

"Like a baby," Rose giggled, "That was the only good thing that came out of this whole getting drunk idea."

James smiled at her and tossed her the paper. "The Prophet is still loyal to us. They're reporting on the missing people."

Rose took the paper from him and the smiled dropped from her face. She looked at the long list of names and read the urgings of people to stay in groups and not go out after dark. They were told to have their protective wards checked regularly and be on the lookout. Things were different than the last war, that much was clear.

"They tell you anything at the meeting?" James asked, his voice low. There was no one sitting near them and Rose leaned forward.

"I was pretty drunk for most of it."

"No way," James said, "My potion had to have sobered you up a bit. It works like magic." He grinned boyishly at his own pun. He looked at the others, hoping for some sort of reaction, but on one seemed to care.

"Maybe for you," She wasn't ready to bring up the mirror. She didn't have anything concrete besides that. She didn't know where it was, what it looked like, or how she was going to find it. It was best to keep that bit of info to herself for now. There was no point in getting their hopes up for nothing.

Before anyone could say anything, the Headmistress came striding over to them. Her voice was crisp and firm as she said, "Rose Weasley, with me, please." She turned and started to walk away.

Rose turned to the others. Lily murmured, "Did she look pale to you?"

Albus murmured his agreement as Rose quickly jumped up and followed after her. She heard James grumbling behind her, "Why does everything happen to her?"

Rose knew everyone was watching her. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the Great Hall on her. She didn't dare question McGonagall until they made it out of the hall. When they finally did, Rose quickened her pace. McGonagall was fast for an old lady. Something was wrong, that had to be the only rational explanation for why she was walking so fast.

"Merlin, Weasley would you keep up. Something terribly grave has happened and I can't have you idling about. Hurry!" Headmistress McGonagall said firmly. Rose didn't hesitate and started to run.

They reached the Headmistress' office. Rose saw the whole Order. They were all standing around in the room, looking scared and angry and at a loss. Rose went over to her parents who hugged her tightly. When they pulled away, Rose took the time to look at her mother. She looked like she aged hundreds of years in the three weeks Rose had been back at school for the second semester. Since she had become a spy. Her skin was pale with deep eye bags and she had new wrinkles. There was even premature grey hair.

"Mom... Dad... whats happened?" She asked, her stomach in tight knots.

A part of her didn't want to hear the answer. She didn't know if she'd be able to take it. Her father looked at her and said, "Azkaban... there was a breakout..."

She understood now. She knew why everyone was afraid. Why they had called an emergency meeting. There were free Death Eaters roaming around now. Crazy people that wanted to kill. More people that would join and fight against them. Rose didn't want to just stand around in this room and listen to people talk about what they were going to do. She didn't want to just stay in Hogwarts. She wanted to get out and fight. She wanted to do something. If only she was of age...

Finally Uncle Harry called everyone to attention, "My friends... I know we are in dark times and that it seems the enemy is one step ahead. But we have something they don't. We have ideals, beliefs, friendships. It may not seem like much, but I know that it is. You have all showed me that believing in good and in each other is something to be proud of and it is all that we need.

"We will not let this setback stop us. We know now that the Manor has made its move on Azkaban. We know that they are trying to take Hogwarts through the Ministry. We will not let that happen."

It went on like that for awhile. Rose had a hard time concentrating. She was so mad. About everything. Uncle Harry came over to her once he had finished talking. "I know how you feel. I felt the same way in your shoes. But Rose, I know you feel like you aren't helping, but you are. This mirror, it's your quest. I need to you to find out everything you can about it. It's our way to stop them. And keep watching Malfoy. I know he's hiding it all well, but he is deep in the enemy's counsel. He's their eyes into Hogwarts just like you are ours."

And then he gave her his invisibility cloak.

_This ain't the garden of eden  
>There ain't no angels above<br>And things ain't like what they used to be  
>And this ain't the summer of love<br>_This Ain't the Summer of Love, Blue Oyster Cult

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><p><strong>AN Hey guys. Summer is here! Funny that this is the chapter being posted now :) I'm writing chapter 17 as we speak, so I feel good :D Thanks for the few of you that reviewed last time round. Could you do it again pleeeease?**


	9. Every Breath You Take

Chapter Nine: Every Breath You Take

_February 25_

Rose was stalking Scorpius Malfoy. She followed him everywhere. She woke up extra early so she'd be the first in the common room. Scorpius would appear at seven thirty with his bag over his shoulder. The first time he saw her, he grinned and sat next to her. He hadn't really said much to her since she had seen him injured.

He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, "Fancy meeting you here,"

Her skin burned just as it did when he had grabbed her wrist that night. She rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "We've lived here for six years. It isn't that much of a shock."

He winked at her and squeezed her shoulder. "You know Rosie, speaking of six years, how about that date you've been putting off?"

"Never going to happen. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to read." It was true, she had brought a book with her while she covertly waited for him. She did need a cover story after all.

"Read," Scorpius muttered sourly.

She looked up at him with a quizzical grin. "What was that? I seem to remember our second day back from break when I walked in on you _reading."_

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Yes, I had a porn magazine hiden in that book. It was the most embarrassing day of my life." He nudged her and she knew he was teasing. After that, though, he stood up and bid her goodbye before leaving. She barely waited a moment before grabbing the cloak from her bag and following him.

He went to the Great Hall where there were a few people. The Hall usually didn't fill up until eight. Malfoy sat down at the edge of the table by himself and grabbed an apple. He bit into it and sat straight, looking out the window. He looked deep in thought and Rose stood off in a corner, invisible, watching him.

Fifteen minutes later, he would get up and stride off to the library. She didn't know he had ever been to the library before, but after following him consistently for days, she knew he did it everyday now. She tried to get close enough to see what he checked out, but they were usually something related to class. Until finally, one day, he checked out an astronomy book. Rose knew full well he wasn't in an astronomy class since there was only one six year class and she was in it.

Then he would go back the the common room and drop off the books. By then it would be eight and he'd go back to the Great Hall and sit with his cronies until eight twenty-five, with five minutes to get to class. Rose would follow them, trying her hardest not to jostle anyone as she walked invisible behind them. She tried to listen to their conversation, but it was mostly about girls and Scorpius never really said much. He mostly looked annoyed all the time. Rose had never really noticed it before.

One time they mentioned her. Goyle had nudged Malfoy in the ribs and said, "How about that Weaslette ? You ever gonna bang that?"

Rose had gone rigid and then Zabini yelled, "Yeah, bro! You've had dibs on that for three years already. Make your move or let someone else have a go at her already."

One of the girls next to Malfoy snorted, "Puh-lease. She's nothing special." She pushed herself closer to Malfoy and purred into his ear, "He doesn't need that little gremlin when he has me."

Zabini wasn't listening to her. He had turned to Goyle and was saying, "Man those hips, they're so fucking hot."

"I bet she's as fiery in bed as her hair." Goyle chimed in and Rose felt sick to her stomach.

"Zabini, Goyle," Malfoy finally barked. He pulled himself free of the girl and hissed, "Stay away from Rose Weasley.

"That isn't fair, dude." Goyle huffed, "Statue of Limitations, man. It's been three years."

"It's 'statutes', you bloody git. Let me say it one last time- stay the bloody hell away from Rose Weasley, or you'll have me to deal with. Don't ever talk about her again."

That was the last time they had brought her name up since Rose had been following them. She didn't know what any of it meant. She had no idea why Scorpius had said that nor did she know Zabini and Goyle found her attractive. She didn't like that Scorpius was walking around telling people she was his, but it was better than Goyle and Zabini and all the other creeps hitting on her- silver lining. She would eventually ask him about it, but when the time was right.

At lunch, she noticed, sometimes Scorpius would be there and other times he wouldn't. So she had to start following him after Defense Against the Dark Arts. If he didn't go to the Great Hall, he'd go to the seventh floor corridor. Rose didn't know what was there, but he'd stand in front of a wall and then a door would appear and he'd go in. He wouldn't reappear until lunch was ending and he'd go straight to their next class, Muggle Studies. She needed to ask Uncle Harry if he knew what that the seventh floor corridor held.

After class, he'd go to Quidditch practice. When that ended two hours later, he'd go back to the dungeons and into the boys dorm. She didn't know what he did in there, but that's where he was until dinner. And then after dinner, she followed him to the common room where he'd get his broom and then head back to the Quidditch Pitch.

But this time he didn't practice. He walked past the ring and kept going until was in the Forbidden Forest. Rose followed him tentatively, but she eventually lost him as he didn't walk forever. Once he was far enough away, he got on his broom and flew off.

The first time she had seen him do it, her mouth dropped and she wondered where he was going. Probably the Manor. She wondered what top secret Death Eater thing he was doing. A part of her couldn't really believe what she was seeing. Scorpius Malfoy really was working for the other side. Just like she was a spy. They weren't kids anymore. They were in a war.

She would wait in the common room for him to get back. She sat on the couch in the invisibility cloak. The first night she had sat there numb, unbelieving. She didn't know why she had felt like a part of her was gone. Now, used to the routine of stalking Malfoy, she had a book with her and her wand. He came back at three in the morning every night, so she'd shut her book and mutter _Nox_ at 2:58. And then she'd watch him in the dark.

He didn't come home bloody and hurt every night. If ever, he had a few bruises that she could hardly see. He'd go to his room and she wouldn't seem him again until five. The only reason she knew he got up at five was because that first night she hadn't moved from the common room at all. At five he'd walk into the common room in running gear. She followed him out onto the grounds and ran behind him. He jogged and jogged, never once breathing hard.

She remembered seeing him that day in Muggle Studies when they were forced to run. He had done it to effortlessly. This was why. He had been training, everyday. At five in the morning. He went back in at six thirty where he'd go off to the boys bathroom.

And at seven thirty he'd back in the common room and it would happen again.

Yes, Rose Weasley was stalking Scorpius Malfoy.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table that morning. James tossed her the paper and she looked at the cover and then back at James. He was glaring at her and he said, "You knew."

She nodded and pushed the paper away from her. She didn't want to read about the breakout in Azkaban. She knew James was mad at her for not saying anything. "That's why McGonagall came to get you before." He went on, his voice hard as rock and sharp as a knife.

She flinched, like he had physically stabbed her, and nodded. She kept her eyes downcast. She was tired, she hadn't been getting much sleep since she had been following Scorpius around. It was like he never slept. That boy was always on the move. She didn't know how he did it.

And she didn't want to fight with James. It seemed like all she had been doing since Uncle Harry had asked her to spy was fight with James. She knew he was mad, but that didn't mean taking it out on her was going to make it any better.

"That's it?" James seethed, "You're not going to say anything else?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Rose hissed, "You want me to apologize that your daddy picked me and not you? You want me to say _I'm sorry_ that I get to go to secret Order meetings you don't? You want me to apologize for having to follow Scorpius around? Because I can't, James. I'm exhausted and it feels like I can't even rely on you guys."

Lily put her hand on Rose's shoulder, "You know that isn't true. We're here for you, Rose. We always will be."

Her brother was glaring at her, though. James looked at her sourly and said, "I never thought you were a Slytherin, Rose. Until right now." He stood up and grabbed his bag.

"James," Lily said, looking at her brother, "Please, sit down. We can't be fighting right now."

"You're on her side?" James said, looking between them.

"I'm not on anyone's side!" Lily said loudly. She blushed and looked around to see if she had drawn any unwanted attention. She said more quietly this time, though her voice was strained, "We need to stick together."

James glared at Rose, "She's the one keeping secrets."

Rose shook in Lily's embrace. She was not going to cry. But the strain of the past few days was getting to her and having James this angry at her was not helping. "Fine," Lily said and turned to Rose, "Is there anything else you aren't telling us?"

Rose took a breath and looked up at James. She was mad at him, so she said spitefully, "Yes."

James glared at her and stalked off. Hugo and Albus followed him. Rose sighed and put her head on the table and took deep breaths. She knew Teddy, Victoire, and Lily were still sitting around her.

"That was harsh, Rose," Teddy said.

"I know," She muttered.

"You sounded like a Slytherin then." Victoire added and pinched Rose's arm in punishment.

"Yeah, and never refer to my dad as 'daddy' ever again. It sounds way too creepy and mean." Lily said.

Rose nodded, "Never again will I say 'daddy'."

"Look," Teddy started, "We'll talk to James and them. They're just mad, but they'll get over it. We're all anxious and no one is really telling us anything. We're being treated like kids and then we see you going to these meetings and doing something and knowing whats going on and we feel useless."

"I feel useless and I'm supposedly doing stuff." Rose murmured and picked her head up, only to drop it onto Lily's shoulder.

Lily smiled down at her, "Maybe you should tell James that. He has it in his mind that if he was in your place he'd be filling us in on everything so we could help, but I imagine he'd feel differently if he actually was in your place, though."

"Uncle Harry is telling me stuff in confidence. As much as I want to tell you guys, I've been sworn to secrecy. And I know you'd never mean to tell anyone, but if you did by accident, it would be all my fault." Rose told them.

"You don't need to convince us, Rose." Victoire smiled at her and Rose felt better for a few moments with her friends.

At lunch, Rose was with Daphne and Oberon. Scorpius was at lunch today, Rose noticed, and he was sitting quietly around his usual horde and with a new girl that was draped across him. Daphne was talking about this Ravenclaw she had met, but Rose wasn't listening. She was looking at her plate, trying to keep her eyes away from Scorpius or looking behind her at the Gryffindor table.

Headmistress McGonagall was at the end of the Great Hall. She stood up and looked at the students, her voice booming across the room. "If I could have your attention," Everyone stopped talking and looked at her.

"In light of recent events," It was tense in the room as students looked around. Parents had been showing up to pick up their kids since the mass breakout of Azkaban. There were fewer students than before. "There will be representatives from the Ministry coming to Hogwarts. They will be inspecting the castle for proper safety procedures. Everyone is to be on there best behavior and that means obeying curfew and respecting your classmates and teachers. There will be drills throughout the week so be prepared for them. At the end of the week, there will be a dinner for the Ministry officials. There will be a Hogsmede trip in the middle of the week for anyone that needs dress robes. That is all, now back to class."

There had been rumors of such a visit floating around all week, so it wasn't as hard hitting as it should have been. Rose didn't react this time and went to the rest of her classes. She tried to focus on taking notes, but how could she do that with so much going on? She had to stalk Scorpius, find the mirror, worrying about the Ministry trip (as they were probably going to be trying to _weaken_ Hogwarts defenses instead of strengthening them), and James was furious at her. What was the point of being in school?

Scorpius didn't disappear into his room after dinner. Instead he took a seat next to Rose in the common room. She glanced at him and said, "What do you want?"

She knew there were others around them. She wondered if Zabini and Goyle were watching. It was weird sharing a common room with all of them. The people she disliked, her friends hated, the enemy. They all lived together. They had all known each other for years. Sometimes they were the first people she saw in the morning. It was all still too crazy for Rose to process. Scorpius wasn't the devil to her, like he was to her friends who hated him.

Sure, he was rude and mean most of the time. But that was when he was walking the halls of Hogwarts and trying to impress people. But back in the common room, Scorpius was relaxed, calm. Sometimes his shirt would be untucked, or his tie loose. It was like his sanctuary. She saw a different side of him that the rest of the school didn't. Sometimes he would come sit next to her. Usually he'd flirt, but sometimes they did have short, civil conversations.

She didn't hate him and she didn't love him, they were somewhere in the middle. Until Scorpius became an agent of evil and Rose had allied herself to the Order. Now she didn't really know where they were supposed to be.

"You're in astronomy, right?" He asked.

She perked up, remembering the book he'd checked out. She tried to be nonchalant about it all, "Mhmm."

He was looking away from her, his arm around the couch, his hand inches from her shoulder. She looked at her book, determined not to make eye contact. He went on, "Have you guys ever studied the moon?"

The moon. He was asking her about the moon. The Death Eater ritual had to do with the moon. She told herself to stay calm. She had to play it cool so he wouldn't suspect her as a spy. Let him ask whatever he needed to and she could tell Uncle Harry.

She nodded, "Briefly."

He took in a deep breath and didn't say anything. It was like he was arguing with himself, like he didn't know if he should ask her. Finally he said, "There's an old story that... more like a myth..."

He broke off and Rose looked at him. _Really_ looked at him. His hair was longer and it fell into his eyes. He had a cut on his forehead. His eyes were guarded. His jawline drawn. She remembered in fourth year when she thought he was good looking. That still hadn't changed. It probably never would.

Scorpius finally looked at her and she wondered if he thought she was pretty. He might have, given what had happened between him and Goyle and Zabini. He was studying her and it felt almost intimate when he said, "A myth about bringing people back to the dead, by the power of the moon."

It felt like this was the first time he had ever spoken about the ritual to anyone. He looked almost worried when he asked, "Do you think it's possible?"

She should have reacted like a normal person. She should have gasped or acted shocked. But she knew it was possible because it had happened and she wasn't shocked because she had known about it before and she was never the best actress when put on the spot. And for some reason, she didn't want to act around Scorpius. He had come to her, searched her out, to confide in her.

She had to be careful about what she said since: A) they were in the common room surrounded by Slytherins, B) she was a spy, and C) Scorpius was so close to touching her that she was nearly at a point when all intelligent thoughts left her.

She had hardly noticed that they had gotten so close, but with the secrecy of what they were talking about and the whispering, it was natural. She took a deep breath a said, "Well, there was once a myth that if you got bitten by wolf, you'd become one. Stranger things have happened."

Scorpius grinned at her for a moment, before it faded and he looked troubled again. "Hey," She whispered, "All magic has its consequences." She added. She wondered what it was like to be in his place. Bellatrix Lestrange was his great aunt. All the stories Rose had ever heard about her were how psycho she was. It couldn't have been easy having her around.

Scorpius nodded to himself. He looked at her and his customary smirk snaked across his face. He looked down at the minimal space between them and looked back at her, "Five years of foreplay, Rosie."

_Every single day, every word you say  
><em>_Every game you play, every night you stay  
><em>_I'll be watching you  
><em>Every Breath You Take, The Police


	10. Lets Dance to Joy Division

Chapter Ten: Lets Dance to Joy Division

_March 1_

Uncle Neville had books for her. "I tried looking through them, I may have found something. I followed the page for you so you can read more on it."

Rose took them happily and thanked him. She ran back to the Great Hall. Everyone was there, getting psyched for the game against Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Rose sat at the Slytherin table. She looked over at where James and the others were. They still weren't on very good terms and it was really breaking her heart.

She put the books down and her sweater on top of them. She wasn't going to the game- there was an Order meeting. She coughed and then moaned, pretending to be sick. She dropped her head to the books and said, "My head is pounding."

"Oh no, sweetie! But the game!" Daphne whined and looked at her sadly.

Rose coughed again, "I think I need to go back to bed."

"I can take you to Madame Alz," Oberon offered, referring to the school nurse. Rose shivered, she hated Madame Alz. Madame Pomfrey had retired after Rose's first year. Rose had liked her.

"No, no." She muttered, "I think I just need some sleep."

"How about the Hogsmede Trip?" Daphne asked.

With the Ministry visiting, things had been very weird. Everyone was tense, muttering to each other. Today was the Hogsmede Trip if anyone needed fancy clothes. There had been drills all week and Rose had been running on barely any sleep. She had to follow Scorpius, keep up with her prefects duties, deal with the fallout of her and James, and research the mirror.

"I don't think so." It took a few more minutes, but eventually Oberon and Daphne left her alone. Rose got up to head back to her room and put the books away before the meeting, when she bumped into Scorpius.

He was already wearing his uniform and holding his broom. He looked at Rose in her sweatpants and messy hair- she was playing the sick look, too- and said, "Why aren't you dressed? Unless you're wearing Slytherin knickers." He winked at her.

Rose rolled her eyes and coughed.

Scorpius' eyes widened, "No. No, I forbid you to be sick. No Slytherin is allowed to miss a Quidditch game." He grabbed her shoulders and steered her over to the table. He sat her down in his empty seat and snapped his fingers. "Goyle, pumpkin juice, now!"

Goyle handed him the goblet without question. Rose looked at him oddly as he shoved the goblet at her. When she didn't take it he brought it to her lips and tipped it back. She coughed and pushed the cup away, spilling it all over them.

"Geez, Rosie, what was that for? I'm trying to help you!" Scorpius said, annoyed, grabbing a napkin, while the goblet clattered onto the table.

"Merlin, what is wrong with you? I don't want to go to your stupid game!" She huffed and stood up, stomping away from him.

"Then who will I dedicate my game winning goal to?" He called after her. Rose could imagine his usual smirk plastered across his face. Once she was out of the Great Hall, she raced to her room so she could put the books away. She headed for the Headmistress' Office then. Most of the Order was already there and Rose went over to hug her parents.

"Hi Mom, Dad," Rose said, hugging them both at the same time.

"How are you sweetie? You look exhausted!" Her mom said.

Rose smiled, "I am. But I'll be fine. How about you guys? Are things... better?" She knew their relationship had taken a big hit since the war began. Since she started spying. It was obvious in the way they stood a few feet apart and hardly looked at each other. It weighed on her all the time. She watched her parents exchange a look, before smiling at her. She wondered how true it was.

"How's your brother?" Her dad asked, changing the topic.

Rose shrugged, "We don't talk that much. He and James and Albus, really. They're mad at me, mad that Uncle Harry chose me and that I'm not really saying much."

"They'll get over it," Her mom said, smoothing her hair back. "Just keep trying to keep your relationship alive. Our friends and family are all we really have."

Uncle Harry came over to her then and Rose hugged him. "What have ya got for me?" He asked, smiling grimly at her.

She took a deep breath and said, "Malfoy has a set routine. In the evenings he walks into the Forbidden Forest with his broomstick and flies off. He comes back at the three in the morning, sometimes bloody and beat up. And at five he goes running for an hour and a half. Also, he got an astronomy book from the library- he doesn't take that class. And then the other day... he asked me..." She paused. She didn't know how she was supposed to explain it.

Her mom urged her on, "Asked you what, love?"

"He brought up the ritual and asked me if I thought it was true. So he's definitely involved... but I don't think he's on board with the whole thing." Rose said.

She watched Uncle Harry react. She saw something in his eyes, like he was remembering something from a long time ago. Something he'd never forget. He looked at Rose and said, "How do you feel about Malfoy, Rose?"

"What?" She sputtered, feeling her heart pound.

"Rose... tell me how you feel about Malfoy." Uncle Harry said, getting down to eye level with her. He pulled his chair closer to her and studied her, his gaze never wavering.

"What the hell, mate?" Her dad asked from behind her. "She hates him. We all hate Malfoy- always have, always will."

"Ronald," Her mom scolded, "Stop that right now." Her voice changed as she walked up to her daughter and said, "Rose, it's okay to answer the question honestly."

Rose looked at her mom and then at her dad who was red. She looked at Uncle Harry and felt the whole Order watching her. She shrugged, "I don't know. I've never hated Scorpius or anything. But he isn't my friend. I don't know what we are. We've been living together for like, six years. We know stuff about each other, we've seen each other at our most candid. That's what happens when you share a common room."

She knew that wasn't what her father wanted to hear. But surprisingly, when she looked at her mom and Uncle Harry, they didn't look angry. They looked like they understood.

Uncle Harry said, "Scorpius may be like his father. You said that you aren't sure how on board he is with everything. Well, back in our sixth year, Draco Malfoy was supposed to do something for Voldemort. But at the last moment, he couldn't do it. I think, Scorpius Malfoy may be in the same position."

Rose didn't know why she was so happy to hear that. Maybe there was hope, a shot. Maybe Scorpius was the same kid she grew up with.

After that, Uncle Harry gave them on update about how Seamus was doing spying as a Death Eater (the Ministry visit was a farce, as if Rose hadn't figured that out). More people were missing. All the usual depressing stuff.

After the meeting, Uncle Harry asked Rose to go get James. That was how Rose was forced to walk down to the Quidditch Pitch even though she really did want to go to her room and nap. Her sweat pants billowed in the wind since March really was roaring like a lion. She hoped no one would notice her on the Gryffindor side of.

The stands were packed and she was looking fruitlessly for one of her friends. While she looked, she checked the score- Slytherin was leading. She watched the game for a moment, seeing Scorpius with the Quaffle. It was short lived because the Bludger came soaring into him, hitting his wrist. There was a sickening crack and the Quaffle fell out of his hands.

Rose turned away as the crowd gasped and a look of pure pain shown on Scorpius' face for a moment. She heard the whistle blow as she kept on looking. Rose squeezed her way through until she finally found her brother. "Hugo!" She said, arriving next to him. She grabbed his arm and he stiffened. "Look," She whispered in his ear, "I know you're mad at me. I just came from a meeting and mom and dad are here. If you want to go see them, they're in McGonagall's Office."

She didn't wait for him to say anything. She slid past the others and smiled at them before turning to James. She told him in his ear the same thing before fighting her way out.

Once she was out of the stands, she relished the cool air since it was a million degrees in the Quidditch pitch with all the body heat. She saw Scorpius walking just ahead of her with Madame Alz. She walked up to him and asked him how his wrist was.

Scorpius was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here, Weaslette ?" He glanced at where she had come from and added, "And from the Gryffindor side?"

"Needed to see if Lily still had her Halls on her. She was sick last week," Rose lied easily.

"Halls?" Scorpius asked her.

"They're a muggle cough drop. So your wrist?"

He shrugged, "Madame Alz here thinks it's broken. But I'd rather talk about you. Just couldn't stay away, could you?"

"What?" Rose asked, annoyed. "I was looking for medicine."

"You will come with us to the infirmary," Madame Alz said from in front of them. She looked at Rose, with a firm look, "I will examine you."

"No, really, it's okay. It's just a simple cold." Rose said, waving her hand.

Scorpius grinned, "She's lying. She just wanted to see me in all my glory."

"What glory?" Rose asked, grinning at him. Madame Alz cut their banter short, demanding Rose come with them to the infirmary. So Rose was stuck and she walked next to Scorpius. She thought about what Uncle Harry had asked her. She looked at Scorpius walking like nothing was wrong. He didn't grimace as he cradled the broken wrist. She remembered the evening she had seen him all bloody and bruised. She had cleaned up the gash on his stomach. A broken wrist must be nothing to him. He'd probably already had one. Or two or three.

"Admiring me, Rosie?" Scorpius chuckled, smiling at her. She liked when he smiled. In all her days of stalking, she never saw him smile. He smiled at her sometimes, though. It had been awhile, but it was finally making a long awaited appearance.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "As if,"

"It's okay if you were," He went on, wiggling his eyebrows at her in good nature, "I admire you a lot, so I don't mind if you want to return the favor. Remember," He lowered his voice, "Five

years of foreplay."

"It'll be six soon," She added boldly, unsure of where that came from.

Scorpius was just as surprised, but he recovered quick enough and chuckled. "Not if we give in," He grinned at her.

She didn't say anything to that, but instead started whistling. It was the only way she could think to prevent herself from saying something dumb. They arrived in the infirmary and Madame Alz barked at both of them. They both scrambled over to a bed. Scorpius picked the one next to her.

He looked at her, pouting, and said, "I don't like her. Why don't you be my nurse?"

"I already was." Rose pointed out, wryly.

Scorpius smiled at her and said, "Trust me, Rosie, I remember." He added to himself softly, "It was the one good thing about that night."

"What?" Rose asked.

"I said, but you didn't wear the slutty nurse costume."

Rose laughed, "I seem to recall a tight tank top."

Scorpius grinned naughtily at her, "Why do you say it like I could possibly have forgotten?"

After that Madame Alz came over to them and started fussing over Scorpius' wrist. She bandaged it and gave him a potion to dull the pain. He was free to go, but he didn't move, and fixed his eyes on Rose.

Rose wasn't looking forward to this examination. She wasn't sick. Madame Alz was going to blow her cover. She checked her breathing, her throat, her ears, and her vision. Then she took her temperature and blood pressure.

"Rose, you are exhausted. Have you been sleeping properly?" Madame Alz asked, looking at her with concern. "You might be dehydrated, too. Is everything okay?"

Rose was aware of Scorpius' eyes on her. She nodded and said, "I just have lots of schoolwork and prefects duties, so I get to bed late." It was partly the truth.

Madame Alz didn't like it. She said, "Your health is the most important thing, put it first."

After that they both left the infirmary. "You heard her, Weasley, get some sleep." Scorpius told her. He was looking at her seriously and Rose wondered if he really wasn't joking with her. Scorpius had never shown concern over her health before. In fact, he'd never really shown concern over her ever.

"And she told you no flying, but I highly doubt you're going to listen." Rose quipped, smiling at him.

"That's different. People need sleep to function, so if you don't sleep on your own, than we're gonna have to have sex." Scorpius proclaimed. Rose was happy that the halls were empty since everyone was still at the game.

"What?" She asked, laughing. "What does that have to do with sleeping?"

"Because," He looked at her seriously, "People fall asleep after sex. It's a scientific fact that sex makes people tired. And since I have taken it upon myself to make sure your health is intact, I'll have to take one for the team."

Rose rolled her eyes, "My hero. Look Scorpius, we're not having sex. Not now, not ever."

"You know, Rosie, you keep saying that and even though we're going on six years, I think you're going to crack."

"I'm not going to crack. Cracking implies that I want to and that I am restraining myself. But Scorpius, that's where you're wrong." Rose smiled.

"Oh? I'm wrong. Fine, go out with me and I'll prove to you how much you want me."

It was a ridiculous idea. Rose scoffed, but she couldn't help how much she wanted too. She hadn't really known for how long she was feeling this way or when it had happened, but she did want to see more of Scorpius. She may have had stronger feelings than she previously described.

She looked at him, trying to gauge how serious he was. He looked completely serious. He reached for her hand and said, "Rose..." It was different, near desperate even. She could only imagine how messed up his left had become. She wondered how long he had felt this way- if he even felt this way at all. And when he did.

She wanted to say yes. Scorpius had been flirting with her for years. It was the like universe was waiting for her to just say yes. She thought of what she had overheard with Goyle and Zabini a week ago. She thought about the war and everything that was going on. This might have been her only shot to be normal. To go out with a boy and feel however she wanted too. Just one day. How much could one day matter in the grand scheme of things?

He was looking at her like he wanted her to say yes more than anything in the world. So what else was she supposed to say? "You're on."

A smile broke out a across Scorpius' face. "All right. Once the game ends they're going to Hogsmede, we'll have the whole castle to ourselves. We can do whatever we want. Even those prat Ministry officials will be gone."

They walked hand in hand to the common room. Rose smiled and absorbed the moment. She had no idea what she was doing, but it felt like Scorpius liked her in more ways than one. She wasn't about to question it. They got back to the dungeons and Scorpius said, "I'll be back. I need to change out of these uniforms."

She nodded, "Me too."

He smiled at her and then nodded, "Okay, we'll meet back here." Neither of them left right away. They kept looking at each other a bit longer and smiling goofily. Rose didn't know what she was doing, but she was enjoying herself. Finally they turned away and Rose ran up to her room. She changed out of her sweats and put on some some jeans and a cardigan. She fixed her hair and then went to brush her teeth again.

For a second she felt like a traitor. Should she owl the Order and explain what was going on? She could deny what this really was to herself and say she was spying. But her stomach was anxious and her heart was pounding. There was no way she could lie to herself. It was impossible to stop replaying the night he kissed her on the cheek or block out that night he looked at her when Daphne was pissed out of her mind. She took a deep breath and left the room.

Scorpius was waiting for her in the common room. He took her hand and together they left. He led her towards the kitchen and Rose asked him what he had planned.

"Nothing really, I can't say I ever imagined you saying yes. But you always surprise me, Rose Weasley." Scorpius smiled at her.

He was doing a lot of that recently. He kept smiling and Rose wondered how often he did. In the kitchen, there were a bunch of house elves milling around, all off them cooking in preparation for dinner. "Dot!" Scorpius called, "How about some lunch for the lady?"

Rose interjected, "Only if you want too!" She turned to Scorpius, "You can't just boss him around. He isn't your slave!"

Scorpius opened his mouth to say something- he was still smiling madly- when there was a soft pop! and house elf was smiling up at them. Rose looked at the elf, he was wearing red socks on his hands. "Good day, Scorpius!" The eld chirped happily, "Hows de do?"

Scorpius smiled, "Rose, this is Dot. He used to work for my family-"

"And thens Master Scorpius gives me these here nifty hand warmers. Nows I work here. Master Scorpius my friend." Dot sang, jumping up and down in his spot.

Rose looked at Scorpius quizzically, "You didn't pay him to say that, did you?"

Scorpius' mouth fell, "No trust. I am appalled at you, Rosie. Dot, how about some pasta?"

Dot nodded and then looked at Rose, "Ares you Rose? Master here talks about-"

"Okay!" Scorpius said loudly, "Enough of that. Dot, we'll be over here." He took Rose's arm and led her over to an empty counter and summoned two chairs. Rose could hardly believe everything that had just happened, but she sat down and looked at Scorpius like she had never seen him before.

"So which are you, the git or the charming ex-elf enslaver?" She asked.

He chuckled, "Can I be both?"

"I don't understand you, Malfoy." She murmured. He reached over and took her hand. She looked at their clasped hands and then back at him. His hair was falling into his eyes. He had changed out of his uniform and into black slacks and a green shirt. She wondered if he owned anything casual, like jeans. She asked him. He said no.

"We're going to buy you jeans." She promised.

Scorpius murmured, "I don't need jeans," and stroked her hand.

_Let's dance to joy division,  
>And celebrate the irony,<br>Everything is going wrong,  
>But we're so happy,<br>Let's dance to joy division,  
>And raise our glass to the ceiling,<br>'Cos this could all go so wrong,  
>But we're so happy,<br>Yeah we're so happy.  
><em>Lets Dance to Joy Division, The Wombats

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hey everyone! So some Rose and Scorpius action in this chapter? Oh my! Does this mean they're together! Also, this story has been complete. I finished it at twenty two chapters, so a bunch more chapters to look forward. Thank you to those that have been reading and review. Please drop me a line :D Cheers**


	11. Forever Yours

Chapter Eleven: Forever Yours

_March 7_

Rose didn't know how she was supposed to spy on Scorpius now. She was crazy about him. She busied herself by searching out the mirror. If she was doing that, then she wasn't following him and she was still helping the Order. Besides, Malfoy didn't seem too keen to bring up their "date" either. He kept all their interactions brief and casual. Rose didn't mind, seeing as they both had a conflict of interests.

She went through the books Uncle Neville had gotten her. She went over the folded pages and circled passages but they didn't really help. She just had more questions and they led her to more books with vague answers. It seemed like this ritual was ancient and had passed out of all knowledge. She didn't even know how any of the Death Eaters had found out about it.

She was in the library, Uncle Neville's books to one side and some she had pulled from the shelves. They were spread out in front of her with a lunar chart and her hair was in a messy bun, her Slytherin robes were discarded on the empty chair next to her.

She hated this. She hated all of it. She turned the page warily, but quickly shut the book when someone appeared across from her. It was Mr. Avery, one of the Ministry representatives. They had extended their trip, claiming Hogwarts needed serious repairs. Their dinner had been put on hold- it was intended as their farewell banquet, but seeing as they weren't _leaving_... Uncle Harry had warned her to stay away from them and lie low. She had tried, but now Mr. Avery was here to talk to her.

She thought he had worked in the Department of Law Enforcement, but wasn't sure. She didn't know why he was coming to talk to her. He was a tall man with a hard face and he put her on edge. He looked down at the lunar chart and then back at her. "What are you studying?"

Uncle Harry had told her that the Ministry members were probably trying to find out who the Order spy was. The Order had the advantage since there were so many Potters and Weasleys at the school. Whereas there was just one Malfoy, so it was pretty obvious who the Death Eaters had on the inside. But Rose knew she must have been an obvious suspect since she was the only one with access to the Slytherin common room. She told herself to just play it cool.

"Some astronomy homework. You wouldn't be able to help me with it, would you?" She asked, her voice like silk.

Mr. Avery chuckled at her, and she knew it wasn't good natured. She didn't want to push her luck, but she wanted him to get the fuck away from her. But she couldn't let him know that she knew about the ritual, so she added, "Professor Waters is so tough, I can't wait until I finish the class."

"I can't help you with it," He said, the suspicious edge gone from his voice. But it hadn't left his eyes as he studied her, "You're a Slytherin," He said, "Are you happy there?"

"If you mean, do I think I'm a Gryffindor? Then no." She said. And she meant it. It wasn't anything she had ever told James, but she had decided that she was meant to be in Slytherin her fourth year.

She had been waiting to talk to the Headmistress about her detention for punching Goyle (he had pulled Lily's hair), when she had seen the sorting hat. Up till that point she had still been resentful for ending up in Slytherin. She still didn't fully feel like she belonged. So she went up to the sorting hat and demanded to know why she had been separated from her family. "Why did you put me in Slytherin?"

The sorting hat blinked up at her and yawned before saying, "Rose Weasley, is it? Yes," He drawled, "You were a hard one to place."

"So why Slytherin," She demanded, plowing on, "Why not Gryffindor?"

The sorting hat grumbled at her, "Such a challenge you were. And after all these years you still don't see it. The answer is right in front of you,"

Rose glared and what she said came out in a near growl, "Stop talking in riddles."

The sorting hat laughed at her, "Maybe you _are _too slow to be in Slytherin, who knows? There will come a day when being in Slytherin will be very important- maybe you'll thank me then,"

She wondered if now was that time. But the hat couldn't have foreseen a war, could it? Rose looked up at Mr. Avery. She knew he was a Death Eater. He was trying to gauge her loyalties. She had to make him think she was a pure Slytherin.

"Perhaps we will meet again, Weasley."

She was alone again and she went back to studying her moon charts. She didn't have time to think about what Mr. Avery said. She hardly doubted they'd ever approach her and ask her to spy on the Order no matter what they thought her loyalties were. She was still a half-blood and her family were considered blood traitors.

The chair where her robes were moved. She looked up, worried Mr. Avery was back, but it was James. He sat down and looked down at his lap. Rose didn't say anything, she was nervous and didn't dare to hope that she and James were about to make up. She studied the chart and fidgeted, trying to not keep sneaking glances at James.

She couldn't help but notice he looked different. He looked older- it was weird to say so, since James was the oldest and he had always looked like he was, with his long, dark hair and deep eyes. James never really looked like a child- acted like one, yes, but he didn't look like one. But something had changed now. His hair was still messy, but not in a styled kind of way anymore. His eyes were different. It was like he had grown.

"What are you studying?" He asked, softly. He was nervous. It was clear in his voice.

Rose looked at him and then around them. No one was there; they were alone. She leaned in close and explained about the ritual and the moon and how she needed to find a mirror. "And James..." She paused, unsure why she was blurting it out now of all places, "I went on a date with Scorpius."

James sucked in a breath and said, "Bullocks. Now what?"

She sighed, "I don't know. I think we made everything more complicated. But James... he was so different... it's like he has bi-polar disorder."

"He probably does," James muttered, "So... you like him?"

She shrugged, "I guess. I don't know. I'm trying to focus on finding the mirror. So... any ideas?"

"Geez, Rose, I disappear for two weeks and you go and screw up your life. No, but we should start looking. So, wait, you said the Death Eaters already tried out the ritual?" James asked her, his voice tinged with worry.

Rose grinned and then it faded when she realized she had to tell him that Bellatrix Lestrange was who they had brought back. James' eyes clouded over and his fists clenched. "So what's stopping them from doing it for real already?"

"I think they want bigger numbers and the Ministry and Hogwarts, first. But they could do it whenever since they know it works." Rose said, "And the longer they wait, the more time we have to find the mirror."

James nodded and pulled the lunar chart closer to them, "So lets study up,"

After two hours of searching that yielded no results, James and Rose left the library and walked around the grounds. "So Scorpius Malfoy, Rose... really? Was there no one else? Because I can find you a nice Gryffindor."

Rose laughed and nudged him. "James, I'm a Slytherin. I think it's time we all accepted it."

"No," James said, aghast. "I didn't mean what I said the other day about you being one of them. I was just angry."

"James," Rose laughed, "I don't take being Slytherin as an insult, okay? Sure, Slytherin has a bad rep, but that's not at all what everyone thinks it is. So a few bad seeds grew in the garden, but that doesn't represent everyone. Dark wizards have come from Gryffindor, too. And you know what... I like being a Slytherin. It took a lot of time, but I'm happy with my house and how I've spent my time at Hogwarts. I'm gonna tell you something about our common room and you need to keep it to yourself, okay?"

James nodded.

"You can look out one of the windows and see the giant squid in the Black Lake. Now, I think that's bloody cool and it livens up the dungeon. And I _like _the dungeon, it isn't dank like everyone thinks. It's actually kinda cozy, even though there always is a draft, but," She added hastily, "It's a nice draft, kinda comforting. And everyone in Slytherin looks out for each other. Don't you remember when I was sorted? They should have hated me, but they never once acted like they did- besides that first night anyway. They took me in and accepted me as one of their own. Slytherin is a part of who I am, James."

She looked over at him. James didn't say anything at first, until finally he smiled and said, "Okay, so you like being a Slytherin. How about I call you a Slythindor?"

Rose laughed, "Fine. So how have you been? We all know I'm swimming in a sea of crazy,"

James grinned, "Oh, you know, Lily's been yelling at me, calling me a git for fighting with you. Practicing Quidditch, planning the future since I'll be outta here in a few months. Uncle George says there's a job waiting for me at the shop if I want it."

"Got a girlfriend?" Rose asked with a giggle.

James smiled, "Not quite."

"Oh, who is she?" Rose asked, excited.

"You don't know her. But I'll introduce you soon," James said with a smile.

"So we both have love lives now?" Rose giggled. She didn't know how they had gotten to this point. One day they were both little kids playing the backyard and going to muggle movie theaters or Quidditch games and having weekly barbecues in the summer (her mom teaching her dad and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. For some Uncle Harry always burned their hot dogs). And then they were in Hogwarts, a new stage in their lives that didn't go the way they planned. But they had made it through, all of them still best friends. And now they were fighting a war.

James grinned, "It's a real possibility, although mine isn't as twisted as yours."

Rose sighed, "Mine is just messed up. I don't even know how it happened. What am I gonna do, James? I mean, how can I even like him when he's like... an honorary Death Eater?"

"The heart wants what is wants," James chuckled at the dark look she sent him and then added, "I don't know, Rose. You said he's bi-polar. I think you'll figure it out, you're smart."

"If I was smart, I don't think I'd have this problem," She mumbled.

In the evening, Rose snuck over to the Gryffindor table for dinner. Her friends scooted over, welcoming her with open arms. She slid in next to James and her brother. She dropped her head onto Hugo's shoulder for a second and nuzzled him. Hugo laughed and playfully shoved her off. She was happy to be back with them. It made her feel better about everything. She felt whole, as lame and cliched as it sounded.

Her mom and Uncle Harry were right. They needed each other, they were all they had in this horrible time. Now that she had opened up to James about the mirror, she had an extra confidant. They could work together and maybe they'd find it faster.

"So who is James' mystery girl?" Rose asked the table and everyone immediately started teasing James.

"You told her about," Lily stopped short and cleared her throat. Her voice deepened and she sounded like James on a helium high, "_Shailene Dawson?"_

"Who?" Rose laughed. James blushed and threw a piece of bread at his sister.

"I don't sound like that."

Albus laughed and joined in, "Mate, you really do." He turned to Rose and said, "She's a Ravenclaw, seventh year. James bumped into her one day in the hall, knocked over all her stuff, and he's been madly in love ever since. She's way out of his league."

"Man, shut it," James muttered.

Rose smiled, "Aw, you don't need to be shy, Jamsie."

"Yeah, well, Rose went out with Scorpius Malfoy." James proclaimed.

There wasn't laughter or jeering. In fact, there was just silence among the group. Rose glared at James, "Really? That was the moment you chose to tell everyone?"

_"_I thought it would be funny," James muttered.

"It is clearly not funny," Rose hissed. She sucked in a breath and turned to face her speechless friends. She grinned and explained, "Umm... so after I left you guys at the Quidditch game... I bumped into Scorpius and we were talking and then we went out and there was this house elf Dot that he had given socks to, except he wore them on his hands and we ate and we talked and... oh my gosh I think I'm mentally ill."

Lily reached across the table to hold her friend's hand. "So... Scorpius is nice somewhere deep down?"

"Yes," Rose moaned, "But he's still a Death Eater and I'm not and it can never work... right?"

"Just tell me this," Victoire cut in, "Is he a good kisser?"

"Hey!" Teddy called, "Why would you want to know that?"

"He is a good looking guy," Victoire shrugged, "And it isn't like I'm ever going to get the chance to kiss him."

"We didn't kiss." Rose said, looking down at her plate.

"Good," Hugo muttered, "I did not want to picture that."

"No one was asking you to picture that, you wanker." Rose muttered.

"Wait, so... is this happening? Are we actually talking about you dating that arrogant, rude, and pretentious git, Malfoy?" Albus asked, looking at the whole group.

Rose glanced at everyone and said, "Yes. And I know it's hard to believe, but he can be more than that if he wants to be. Hopefully," Her voice softened, "he will,"

Lily smiled at her, "Rose Weasley goes for the bad guys, eh?"

Rose laughed and groaned, "Shut up."

James chucked a piece of bread at her, "Told you it would be funny."

"I really love you guys," Rose smiled at all of them. "I'm glad you're my friends and I'm glad that we aren't fighting."

"Lets never fight again," Teddy said in a high pitched girly voice.

They all laughed and James said, "Stop with the gushiness, guys. We're all, obviously, going to be together forever."

Rose rolled her eyes at him, but didn't dispute the fact. Everyone, in fact, laughed at James' contradiction, but didn't argue with him. Deep down, she knew it was true. There was no way it couldn't be.

_We try and dream,  
>And buy the things we said we'd buy when we got more money,<br>All in the name of making memories,  
>That's what you want with me,<br>And I am finally accepting that  
><em>Forever Yours, Alex Day

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><p><strong>AN Hello. This was a bit of character development, I guess. I'm particularly fond of the next chapter, so I'm excited to post it :D Please, please, _please_ leave me a review! Thanks so much to the few of you who did, you're all awesome and I love you :D**


	12. Eyes Open

Chapter Twelve: Eyes Open

_March 10_

_Scorpius is looking at me_, Rose thought. She didn't dare turn around and look at him, she was afraid he'd figure it out. See right through her. He had been getting good at knowing what she was thinking. She wondered if the Death Eaters had been teaching him Occlumency. She would have preferred that to even entertaining the idea that Scorpius just knew her that well.

"Rose?" Lily asked, nudging her gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rose mumbled, waving her friend's concerns off. They were all together, sitting by the lake. Spring was creeping closer and it was obvious in the weather. The Whomping Willow was in the distance sporting a fresh set of green leaves and Rose fixed her eyes there to avoid looking behind her.

She heard James laugh at her. "Aye me, love is complicated."

"Oh please," Rose said quickly, turning to look at him, "I do not love Scorpius. I don't even know if I like him."

Everyone laughed at her, but Victoire piped up in her faux French accent, "Oh pleazzze. You zoo like him."

"Yeah, Rose, no questions asked about that one." Lily smiled, "It's so obvious in the way you look at him."

"I don't look at him in any way," Rose huffed, crossing her arms. She didn't very much enjoy being ganged up on- especially by a bunch of Gryffindors. Besides, they shouldn't even been talking about Scorpius or her feelings. There were more important things going on. Like the fancy Ministry dinner tonight.

"Yeah?" James challenged, his eyebrow raised. Rose hated that look and she sighed mentally. That was the look he got when he was about to dare her to do something she didn't want to. "Then look at him. Right now."

Rose glared at him._ It's fine. I look at him all the time. There's no way my face changes when I look at him,_ She told herself. She took a deep breath, heard her brother snicker and Victoire click her tongue, and turned to face him.

He had been looking at her, all right. His stormy eyes bored into her, momentarily catching her breath. No one had ever looked at her like that. There was an expanse of grass separating them, but it felt like an ocean. Rose let everything drain away, her friends standing around and talking about her, some muggle-borns playing football, and the voice in her head that was telling her she'd only end up getting hurt.

"So in love," She heard Lily murmuring, and it brought her back.

She spun, looking at them, but not saying anything. She looked at Victoire and asked, "And him? What does he look like?"

Victoire looked at her and Rose felt her throat tighten up at the look on her face. Victoire tried a smile but failed and Teddy put his arm around her. Rose watched them, not daring to say anything and Victoire finally said, minus the accent, "He obviously has very strong feelings for you. I just don't know _what_ feelings exactly."

Rose turned back to Scorpius. He smiled at her hesitantly. She did the same and vowed to never forget Victoire's words.

Sometime later Rose was back in her room getting ready for the dinner. She was wearing a light green spaghetti strap dress. The top was fitted and sparkly while the bottom puffed out a bit. There were a few layers on the bottom, almost lace. It was a pretty dress for spring and Rose thought she looked pretty good in it. She left her hair down and put on a simple necklace and she was done.

Some of the Slytherin girls were giggling over what they were wearing or fussing over each other's hair. Rose swept past them, eager to get away. Daphne tried to stop her and moan about which dress she should wear, but Rose wasn't interested and hurried past her. In the common room, Rose saw Scorpius sitting on the couch looking at the fire place. Around him was Zabini and Goyle struggling with their ties. For a moment, Rose stood there looking at him. He looked good with his hair slicked back. His shoes were shiny and his black dress robes emphasized how pale he was.

As if he sensed her, Scorpius looked up. His mouth dropped a little as he saw her and he jumped up. She smiled bashfully and Victoire's words came back, scaring the crap out of her. She looked at Scorpius as he came towards her. She wished she could read his face, but it was a mask.

He came close to her and said in her ear, so that no one could hear, "You look good."

She nudged him, muttering, "Lets go eat."

He smiled at her and reached for her hand. They left the common room, Zabini and Goyle following behind them by several paces. Rose liked holding hands with Scorpius, his hand was soft with calluses on his fingers. She knew the Death Eaters had him doing hard work- his hands were proof.

The Great Hall looked different. The house tables and benches were put away and instead there were thousands of round tables and actual chairs. The ceiling was decorated in the usual floating candles under a clear night sky. She looked over for any sign of her brother and the Potters. All she could find was Lilly in a black dress, but Lily didn't see her.

Scorpius led her over to where the Slytherin table would have been and pulled out her chair. He sat next to her and soon enough the table was full with his cronies. They were talking about something, Rose wasn't listening. She was looking around, watching everyone. Trying to see if there were more Death Eaters in the castle.

She saw McGonagall over with all the teachers. She looked tense, but she was trying to play it off the best she could. Rose was trying to do the same _while_ holding Scorpius' hand. It wasn't easy. She looked away in search of her friends. Looking at the same she spot she saw Lily yielded nothing and so she swiveled around in her chair, searching the other side.

"Who ya lookin' for Weasley?" Zabini asked.

"No one," Rose said, craning her neck.

"Your precious Gryffindors?" Goyle prodded.

"Zabini, Goyle," Scorpius said, his voice menacing. No one said anything else to her and Scorpius squeezed her hand under the table. She should have probably thanked him for calling of his dogs- friends- but Rose wanted to find her own.

She kept looking, finally finding Teddy and Victoire. They were in matching red outfits and over where the Gryffindor table used to be. They weren't sitting at a table, instead they were standing in each others' arms talking to another couple. Rose racked her brain trying to remember their names- she knew she knew them. Teddy and Victoire had gone on loads of double dates with them, Rose remembered. She thought the girl was on the Quidditch team with James.

"I'll be right back," She said and stood up. She never reached Teddy and Victoire, though, because she bumped into Avery. His hand wrapped around her arm and it stung. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong and in moments they were outside, the air chilly. "Let go!" Rose yelled, her fight or flight instincts kicking in. But Avery was strong and he wasn't budging.

She kicked out at him, but he kept pulling her farther and farther away from the castle and closer to the Forbidden Forest. Rose started to panic. She couldn't go in there with him. She didn't think she'd ever come out if she did. Why didn't she have her wand? She should have brought it with her- instead it was sitting back in her room. She kicked again, but he didn't seem to even feel it. He was like a wall of bricks, impenetrable. She screamed, trying to call attention to herself. Scorpius would notice she was gone, unless he was in on this. But her friends would notice they hadn't seen her. They'd come looking. They would find her, she knew. She just had to make sure she stayed alive and left them a clue.

With her free hand she grabbed one of the pins in her hair and dropped it. She hopped they'd find it. It was her only hope. Avery pulled her along, not bothering to hush her. With each step they got farther from the castle and pounding music grew fainter. Each step drained away some of Rose's hope, but she was determined to stay strong. She'd get herself out of this if she had to.

They weren't going to the Forbidden Forest. Once they had reached the cover of the trees, Rose remembered stalking Scorpius down here. He had gotten on a broom and flown off. Avery's grip on her arm tightened and they Disapparated.

Her stomach felt sick and her head was heavy, but they landed in one piece in a small river. Rose struggled to pull away and get free. The Apparation must have knocked some strength out of Avery, since he lost his hold on her and Rose took off. She stumbled over some rocks as she stood up and tried to run. The water was cold and made her toes numb in her heels. She couldn't get her thoughts to focus on a single place to Apparate to and Avery took that to his advantage and pounced on her.

They went down, his body heavy on hers. Water went in her nose and throat, making her sputter and cough. She tried to squirm out from underneath him, but he was too big for her. His hand was on the back of her neck, shoving her face down into the water, choking her. Her lungs were filling up with water and all she could see was darkness. She fought, kicking and squirming, but she was getting tired quickly. She was cold, her dress ruined, with no hope of ever being found by James and the others.

She never thought she would die by drowning. All the times she'd spent jumping into the Black Lake and getting detention for it. Going to the beach in the summer and racing James to the water. That first evening at Hogwarts on the rickety boat on the lake, peering over hoping to see something. The water had always been her friend. This was just cruel irony.

Her head was pounding, her eyes burning, and she was convinced she'd pass out any moment. Her kicks became slower and her chest felt heavy. And then she could breath again, viciously pulled out of the water and dragged behind Avery. "That should have knocked some spitfire from you," She heard Avery hiss.

There was mud everywhere, she felt it sticking to her. She coughed and tried to roll over onto her side, but Avery kept pulling her forward, his hold on her ankle. Her dress was sliding up and she tried to cover herself even though no one was looking at her. She coughed some more, water falling out of her mouth. She had never been so happy to be alive and breathing. She looked up, trying to gather her surroundings. She saw billions of twinkling stars, so they must have been in the country.

She wanted to ask Avery where he was taking her, but her throat was burning and her eyes tearing. Her face was probably red. Rose just focused on breathing and coughing up water. There was creaking the distance and she tried to look up. She saw gates opening and dropped her head back to the murky earth, out of strength.

Eventually she was out of the mud and Avery dropped her leg. "Bind that one," He said, his shoes clicking on the floor as he walked away from her, "She's not to be trusted."

There were hands on her, pushing her up into a sitting position and she felt the cool metal of handcuffs clicking into place around her wrists. She looked around, the light painful to her eyes. Soon enough she could see properly, and knew without a doubt she was in Malfoy Manor. She had only seen pictures and heard stories, but, there was no place on earth this evil and this beautiful other than the Manor. The same hands pulled her up and back onto her feet. She wobbled in her wet, broken shoes and looked down at herself.

Her dress was destroyed. It was ripped and not even green anymore. For the first time she felt blood dripping down her chin and figured her lip had been busted open. She turned her head to try and see who was behind her, but she only saw a black hood. Whoever it was pushed her forward.

The room they brought her to seemed like a meeting room. There was a long table and a fireplace. Death Eaters were waiting there, some of them sitting at the table. Others were standing, their wands barred, ready for whatever was supposed to be going down tonight. Rose saw Draco Malfoy sitting at the head of the table. His nose was crinkled like he smelled something disgusting. He stood up when she was pushed into the room and quickly nodded his head to a chair on the other side, "Put her there. And for Merlin's sake, be careful with her. I told you not to hurt her."

"She didn't exactly come willingly." Avery said nonchalantly from the other side of the room.

"What am I doing here?" Rose cut in, spitting a wad of blood out of her mouth. She didn't like being talked about like she wasn't standing right there. She groaned as she was shoved into the chair, whoever it was had expressly ignored Draco Malfoy's command of being gentle. She tried to get up, but found that she was magically bound to the chair. She glared.

Draco looked at her and Rose tried to read his face, but couldn't discern anything. Was he the one in charge? How could he be? Hadn't the Malfoy name been disgraced during the last war? Uncle Harry had always said he never believed Draco was all bad. She knew her mom felt sorry for him. But she couldn't feel pity looking at him now.

She looked around the room, trying to see anything she could use to her benefit. There was a family portrait hanging over the fireplace. It had to have been taken recently since Scorpius looked just as he did now. She looked at it, thinking about how just a short time ago she had been holding hands with him and wondering if he'd kiss her tonight. There was no way anyone would be kissing her now with her bruised lip. There was also the possibility she wasn't going to make it out of here alive. She wondered if he noticed she was missing. Someone had to have noticed by now, right?

Draco walked over to her slowly. She turned her attention to him and squared her shoulders, looking as tough as she could. It would have been a bit better if her dress wasn't practically falling off and her lip wasn't gushing blood, but she'd take was she could get. She tried to pull her wrists free, but failed. Draco reached her and squatted down in front of her so he was looking up at her. He almost looked like he was in a trance as his hand came up and his fingers gently ran down her cheek.

Rose flinched away, being caressed by Draco Malfoy the last thing she had expected. She held her breath, her eyes shut, waiting for a slap any second. But none came. She opened an eye nervously, and saw his was wand pointed at her lip. He whispered something and she felt a warm sensation on her lips as they knit themselves closed. She felt a little better.

"MALFOY-" Someone yelled, and Draco was up in a flash and a jet of blue sparks flew from his wand. The Death Eater that had moved forward was thrown back into the wall. There was a sickening thud as he crumbled to the floor. Draco turned back to her like nothing had happened.

"Why am I here?" Rose asked again, glaring at everyone. She struggled in her handcuffs, refusing to just be their pet. Rose Weasley was no one's hostage.

"You, Rose _Weasley,_" Draco practically spat her last name out, like it physically hurt him and disgusted him all at one, "are special: a Slytherin." He grinned.

"Yeah, so what? I've been a Slytherin six years. Where was this homey, welcoming party then? Also, I was already at a party, so if you don't mind, I'd like to go back." Rose told them, pulling on the cuffs again.

"Rose, being a Slytherin gives you certain opportunities in this world," Draco plowed on, slowly pulling the sleeve of his cloak up. Rose knew his Mark was waiting under there.

"Like a coveted place among the craziest people in the world?" Rose asked.

Draco grinned at her, "So much like your mother." His eyes clouded over for a moment and Rose paused, wondering what he was thinking about. If it was about her mom, she felt sick to her stomach.

"Get on with it, Malfoy," A voice said somewhere in the crowd of Death Eaters watching.

For a moment Rose thought Draco was going to blast someone again, but instead he got on with it. "Rose, you are a Slytherin. And being a Slytherin means being great and upholding that tradition. To be great, you need to join us. You would be the ultimate edition to our little clan here."

"The KKK called themselves a clan to, although they couldn't spell properly." Rose muttered.

"The what?" Draco asked.

"Muggle thing, you wouldn't understand. That's the difference between you and me. You're ignorant. And I don't like ignorance. Now take me back."

Draco wasn't finished, though. "Rose, you would be of great use to our side. Think of all you could achieve. Think of all we could teach you and all you could teach us. You're a very unique person, you are. You're right in the middle, privy to the details of both sides. We're asking you to pick ours. You can't be in the middle forever. You need to be all in at some point."

_He doesn't know,_ Rose realized. _None of them already know I'm a spy for the Order._ She must have better at hiding it from Scorpius than she thought. She hoped she hadn't given it away right now with the shock on her face, but Draco plowed on.

"Also, think of the..." He paused, like he was looking for the right word, "_benefits._ You'll get to be with Scorpius."

Her cheeks began to flame at the mention of Scorpius, and she hated herself for it. So she had successfully hidden the fact that she was a spy, but not that she was probably deeply and stupidly in love with Scorpius Malfoy. What was wrong with her? At this point, she would have rather they knew she was a spy.

"What do you say, Rose?" Draco asked, his wand raised. At her. All this time he had spent touching her face and healing her lip, now his wand was pointed at her, his eyebrows drawn together and Rose didn't doubt he would hurt her if he wanted to. _Be gentle, my arse_.

Now would have been a great time for the Order to bust in and save her. James, Lily, Victoire- _someone _must have noticed she was gone and alerted Uncle Harry. Right? Was that too much to hope for? Maybe Scorpius had put a spell on them all and they had no idea she was missing. She thought drowning was bad, she couldn't imagine dying in this room, half naked in front of all these people watching and enjoying her death.

"We need an answer, Rose." Draco prodded, his eyes the same color as Scorpius'. Rose looked into them and wondered how alike Scorpius was to his father. She wanted to stop thinking about him and come up with an answer to Draco's question, but all she could think about was whether Scorpius was in on this or what.

"As special as you are," He smirked at her, "You're also expendable. I'll take your silence as your answer."

Rose glared, her teeth grit, and she strained against the handcuffs in one last, fruitless attempt. Draco was going to kill her. Or torture her. Whatever. She didn't know what was worse. His wand was raised at her and she was determined to keep her dignity in the end. She was not going to beg or cry. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

"_Obliviate!"_ Draco yelled.

Rose slumped in her chair, and then the room exploded.

_But now we've stepped into a cruel world  
><em>_Where everybody stands and keeps score  
><em>Eyes Open, Taylor Swift

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><p><strong>AN Hey everyone! For you Americans, hope you had a good 4th :D Thanks for those that reviewed, thanks! This is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you like it too! I hope to read some reviews (I update faster when I get them) Cheers!**


	13. Fall For You

Chapter Thirteen: Fall for You

_March 13_

Rose had never really been too fond of her name. Besides the fact that she didn't think anyone would remember a name as mundane as Rose and that it was very boring, she didn't like being named after a flower- especially a flower so cliche as a _rose_. For the first time, though, she felt like a rose- with a million thorns digging into her.

With her eyes closed, she tried to figure out what was going on. Everything hurt, her head was pounding and her whole body felt like it had been dragged through the woods in a body bag. She couldn't imagine why she was still alive. She tried to wrack her brain, trying to remember what had happened and led to this pain. Her mind was blank- she couldn't come up with anything. It was like she was standing on the beach, looking out at a quiet sea, a million possibilities swimming out before her.

She knew all her limbs were still attached. She tried to squirm around. A sharp pain took hold of her, and Rose decided no more moving. Her chest felt heavy, like she hadn't been able to breath.

"Rose," James' voice broke through. "Come on, I saw you move, open your eyes." She felt his hand on her forehead, his fingers ran through her hair and landed on her shoulder. "Come on, Rose. We're all here waiting for you."

"Rose," Lily's broken voice chimed in, "If you're awake, open your bloody eyes."

There was a hand on her bare foot, "I will tickle you if you don't open them, Rose." Her brother threatened, good-naturedly.

"We're all waiting, Rose," Teddy's voice joined in.

The last thing Rose remembered was being at the stupid Ministry dinner. No, wait- she remembered getting ready for it. She had a... green dress and she was holding hands with Scorpius. But how did she end up here, feeling like this?

She opened one eye.

The cheers were deafening. Rose groaned as six bodies pilled on top of her at once. "Oh my gosh, guys!" Her body screamed in agony, but Rose didn't care because it meant she was alive. She wanted to know what had happened and why she couldn't remember. She was glad to know everyone else was okay, it was like a weight had been taken off of her shoulders.

"Rose, don't you ever do that again!" Lily's shrill voice was directly in her ear. She felt Lily's breath on her and Rose nodded obediently, still not knowing what she had done.

"Yeah, Rose," Hugo added, "you scared the crap out of us. If I ended up a single child, mom would end up finding out everything I do."

"Yeah, Hugo, too much information," Rose muttered.

They pulled away from her and Rose finally had the chance to examine them. Lily's eyes were red, and from her scratchy voice, Rose knew she had done a lot of crying. James' face was as pale as it had been when he was ten and had an awful stomach virus- he hadn't eaten in three days since nothing would stay down. Albus's eyes had deep circles under it, his hair a mess. Victoire's eyes and nose were red, and she was holding a tissue box. Teddy was still wearing his dress robes from the dinner. Hugo had a bruise around his eye.

Rose asked him, "What happened?"

"Scorpius punched me." Hugo smirked, "But I got him good."

"What? Why?" Rose tried to sit up, but it hurt, and pairs of hands were immediately pushing her back down. "What happened?"

"When you disappeared-" Lily started.

"Disappeared? Wait- what? I can't remember anything." It hurt, trying to remember. Every time she tried to concentrate on remembering, her head would pound and she'd come up empty. It was like something was blocking her from remembering or someone had taken the memory from her. She didn't know which it was. And she didn't know which was worse.

She watched her friends all exchange looks. "What?" She pipped up, not like being kept in the dark. "Whatever happened, tell me."

"We will," James promised, his voice washing over like a warm blanket and keeping her safe. "We're just trying to figure out how to."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Rose said.

"Oh, yes," Teddy told her, "It was."

Rose turned to James. He was always her rock. "Tell me. Now."

James sighed. "Always me," He muttered. He squared his jaw and nodded before saying, "We were at that stupid Ministry thing and realized we hand't seen you yet. Scorpius was there, we'd seen him a bunch of times already. But we hadn't been able to find you. Lily went over to Scorpius and he said he was looking for you too. We all split up, and when we met up again Hugo accused Scorpius of having done something and punched him. They started fighting and eventually Scorpius just stopped trying-"

"No!" Hugo cut in, "I knocked him out."

"You did not knock him out," Lily said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Rose and her voice softened when she said, "It was like he realized whatever happened to you had happened because of him and he wanted to be punished."

"But _what_ happened?" Rose asked, her empty head spinning madly.

James went on, "McGonagall came and got us, well- she sent Scorpius to the infirmary and took us to her office. She asked us if we had seen you and when we said no her face got really pale and said spoke into her wand. It wad like she and Order were using their wands as phones. It was really cool, Rose. You need to figure out what that spell is when you're better."

"James!" Lily scolded, "Get on with it."

James chuckled and then he got serious again. "She said that Dad was already on his way to the Manor with a bunch of other Order members. Seamus Finnigan, you remember him right? Well, Dad had him spying for us in the Manor and when he saw you, he alerted the Order. They needed confirmation from us that you were missing and they went and got you out."

James paused, like he was waiting to see how she would take the news. Rose, for her part, was listening, but not really comprehending. She didn't understand how James could be saying she was in Malfoy Manor when she didn't remember anything. Nothing even remotely rang a bell. She glanced around at the others, but they were all looking gravely at the floor or the window- away from her. No one could meet her eyes.

Rose felt her stomach knotting up and didn't want to hear the rest, but she couldn't stop herself. She had to know what happened, who was hurt, why she couldn't remember, what Malfoy wanted- everything. "James," She started, trying to gather her strength, "What happened? What went wrong?"

"What went wrong?" A new voice chimed in, and Rose turned quickly to see who had entered the room. Professor Kreyjoy, Head of Slytherin House, was wearing his characteristic snakeskin shoes and they clicked across the floor of the Infirmary as he walked over to her. "What a Slytherin thing to say. I'm proud of you, Weasley. Five points to Slytherin."

Rose rolled her eyes- it was a running joke in Slytherin that anytime she did anything Slytherin-like she would earn House points and whenever she did anything Gryffindor- like, she would lose House points.

"Thinking about strategy," Professor Kreyjoy went on, taking a seat next to James, his shoes disappearing from her view. There was something about those shoes that gave her a small comfort. She had seen those shoes since her very first day at Hogwarts- she'd never told James or any of the others about how she had gotten lost on her way to the common room and broke down in tears. Professor Kreyjoy had found her and led her to the Slytherin common room. She had been so embarrassed at being found in such a vulnerable state and at getting lost, that she had started at the ground and seen his shoes.

"Always planning, trying to see the bigger picture," He smiled, saluting her, and then looked around at the others. "Well get on with the story, then, this _is_ where it gets good after all."

James raised an eyebrow in distaste at the professor. He had never much liked Kreyjoy. Rose suspected it was because he sucked at Potions even though he tried to tell everyone that someone had enchanted his cauldron so all his potions went wrong. James had pride. It was probably his hubris, but she wasn't about to point that out to him.

Either way, James looked back at her and asked, "Nothing sounds familiar?"

She shook her head and James' face looked troubled. Rose wished she was the type of person that could sit quietly and patiently, waiting for the other person to continue, but she wasn't. So she said, "Hurry up!"

He glared at her and said, "Look, I don't know the whole story okay?" He shot Kreyjoy a dirty look, "The Order won't tell us everything. The point is, they got there too late and Malfoy had already used the _Obliviate_ curse on you. No one will tell us what they wanted." He looked at Kreyjoy again, "Would you care to enlighten us?"

Professor Kreyjoy smirked at James and then tipped his chair back so it was up on its legs. Then he glanced around at everyone and shrugged, "Someone's gotta do it." He brought the chair forward and it hit the floor with a loud _thud_ that made everyone jump. Everyone but Rose, and Kreyjoy smiled at her for that.

"Unfortunately, we're not in a secure place." Professor Kreyjoy said brightly and the others all glared at him for denying them the truth they wanted.

Rose leaned back against her pillows. She was tired.

"We need to wait for the Order to finish sweeping the floor. Everyone's been doing it in shifts. Once the others get here, we can begin the meeting." He added, and the others all perked up.

"Another meeting?" Rose asked, not feeling up for it. But if it would give her the answers she wanted, she'd gather up the strength.

Hugo scowled at her, "For those of us that have never been to one-"

Professor Kreyjoy cut in, "For Order members _only_. Better say whatever you need to now, because once your parents get here, you're all out."

Rose looked at James since she knew he would take the news the worst.

He did.

James turned on Professor Kreyjoy, "We have been sitting here waiting for Rose to wake up for _days! _You can't just kick us out of the infirmary at _Hogwarts._ This isn't the Order's headquarters, they don't have jurisdiction here."

Professor Kreyjoy seemed unmoved by this. His face was impassive and he crossed his legs. "James, if you use big words like 'jurisdiction,' you might tire yourself out."

Lily reached across for her brother to calm him down before he did something that would get him expelled. "You'll be seventeen in three weeks, and then you can join the Order, okay? Just cool it."

"In three weeks it could be too late," James hissed and wretched his body out of his sister's reach. He stood- the chair flying out from beneath him and stalked out of the room, just as it opened and his father and the Weasleys came bustling in with the rest of the Order behind them.

James scowled at them and then forced his way out. Rose watched as Uncle Harry opened his mouth to call out to his son and then thought better of it. She saw how her Aunt Ginny reached out for her husband's arm to comfort him, but also draw some strength from him. Rose knew James had been short with his parents' recently, resentful about a lot of things. She knew it was hard on Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, too. She wished James could see their side, because she knew they could see his and were just trying to protect him, just like any loving parent would do. It was unfair of him to punish them for that.

Uncle Harry looked at the scene in front of him, and Rose tried to wave feebly. He looked visibly relieved to see her awake and moving, but not as relieved as her own mother who broke down in tears and her father whose whole face turned red in happiness. They raced over to her and embraced her tightly, crushing her body to theirs. Her mom's tears were cold on her neck and the only semblance of something she could cling to to tell her that what James told her had been true. The memory she couldn't find was almost plausible, so potent, tangible, just there... dangling over the cliff she could never get to.

"Oh, Rosie," Her dad whispered in her ear and she felt him begin to shake.

She wished she could comfort them, but she didn't have any words. She figured being alive was comforting enough, but she wished had could have found words to tell them it would be okay. A part of her wondered if she couldn't find words because it was all untrue. It wouldn't be okay. She couldn't afford to think like that, so she pushed the thoughts away.

She heard the others being herded out of the room as if she was on another planet and everything was happening far away. But when her parents finally let go, her friends were gone. The infirmary was empty, save for the Order members. She looked around. Neville was there and he smiled at her.

"Rose, Vincent tells me you don't remember anything," Uncle Harry started, sitting on the edge of her bed. It took Rose a moment to remember Vincent was Professor Kreyjoy's first name. She nodded, glancing at the Head of her House and then back at her uncle.

Her mom sobbed. Rose felt guilty and wished she could have taken it back and told them she remembered everything. She looked at them all, saying, "Tell me what happened."

True to his word, Professor Kreyjoy volunteered for the job, "Somehow, you didn't blow your cover with how moon-eyed you've been over the Malfoy boy. You were taken from the dinner by Avery- you fought him. Finnigan said you showed up at the Manor a bloody mess, half naked. The Death Eaters were taking their chance at recruiting you and you refused." Kreyjoy was looking at her and then glanced at the others before adding, "Probably should have accepted. Then you would have been a triple agent. Strategy, Ms. Weasley- the bigger picture. Think about it next time you want to act like a Gryffindor and be all high and mighty."

"Enough, Vincent," Uncle Harry cut in. His face softened and he looked at her, "Malfoy took the memory just before we got there. You were passed out when we showed up."

"And," Rose asked tentatively, "who did we lose?"

"Well," Kreyjoy said brusquely when no one could bring themselves to say anything, "they weren't going to let Finnigan get away, were they?"

Rose looked down, feeling sick. Seamus Finnigan had saved her. He'd called the Order to come and save her. If he hadn't- who knew if anyone would have gotten to her before Malfoy could do something worse than take away her memory.

Malfoy took away her memory.

A piece of her was missing and she couldn't get it back. She couldn't remember being afraid or defiant, facing Avery's blows and maybe, hopefully, landing some of her own. It was like that night hadn't happened and they were all talking about another person that looked like her.

She wanted it back.

"What do we do now?" She asked, "What's next? I want to hel-"

"Find the mirror, Rose," Uncle Harry told her. "If they bring Voldemort back, this war is going to have a lot more causalities. We need to stop them now. We need to protect everyone. The Death Eaters aren't holding back. They've got people inside Hogwarts, but we do too. No where is safe. Find the mirror, look out for James and everyone else. They've already gone after you, I don't think they'll hesitate to go after someone else close to the Order."

Rose started to shake. She had taken some solace in the fact that Hogwarts was safe. Hogwarts was a fortress. She hoped she could keep telling herself that and it would become true. But it hand't been true. It was never true and might not ever be true for a very long time. Death Eaters- Avery, for one- were in the castle. She couldn't let him get near Lily or James or her brother or the others. She'd look out for them. Malfoy wouldn't touch her memories or anyone else's. Not while she was around to stop him.

Her mom's warm hand on her back brought her back. She looked around at the others and nodded her understanding. She'd look out for everyone and find the mirror. It was the only thing she could do. The only thing to cling to.

"Don't trust anyone," Uncle Harry said, looking at her like was unsure of what she was going to do. Rose felt ashamed and looked down. She figured he was referring to Scorpius. She felt like a little girl that had ruined the surprise. She didn't want to look at her parents, but her dad didn't give her a choice.

"I can't handle spying and boy, Rosie, let along _that_ boy." He said, but her mom just kept rubbing her back in comforting circles.

Rose didn't say anything, she bit her lip and tried to listen to the rest of the meeting as best she could. Her head was throbbing and her whole body felt like it had a pulse. Sitting up required a lot of effort, but she was determined to get through it. They talked about their emergency alert system and how they could improve it. They agreed to let Rose on the secret once it was updated in case something else went wrong. They also had to assign certain Order members jobs of watching Hogwarts since the other side already had men on the inside.

Rose didn't remember much after that since she fell asleep. When she woke up, her body was shaking and she heard Scorpius, "Rose..."

She blinked, looking at him. He looked awful. His hair was oily and his face was pale, aside from the bruises on his face. He smiled when he saw her and then quickly stopped himself and grew serious. Rose tried to sit up, but there was a pain in her side and she grimaced. Scorpius looked panicked and quickly put his hands on her shoulders to keep her down.

"Uh... are you okay?" He asked, and his voice broke.

Rose studied him, "Are you here to be my nurse? If I remember correctly, you have a favor to return."

He almost smiled at her. He looked pained and shook his head. "I just... I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

"I'll be fine. Do you... know what happened?" She wondered what he would say. He must have known. He must have been back to his house since it happened- he did after all disappear, presumably, there every night. She had seen him leave the castle. He was in the inner circle, he might have been in on it, or he at least found out what had happened after it happened. But he wasn't supposed to let her know her know since he was supposed to be keeping the Death Eater thing under wraps.

She tried to look innocent so he wouldn't suspect anything. He wasn't supposed to know she was in the Order of the Phoenix. It was a miracle he didn't already.

Finally, he said, "Madame Alz won't say anything. She said you... fell?"

Rose doubted Madame Alz had said any thing like that. The Order had to have come up with a better cover story than that. Either way, Scorpius was a bad liar when he wasn't trying. The way he was looking at her told that he knew exactly what had happened and the way his fingers were stroking her hair told her that he was sorry and he knew she couldn't remember anything. He had told her he fell once too. That night she helped him. Was falling the equivalent to getting the shit beat out of you by Death Eaters?

She wanted to ask him about the fight with Hugo and what his family was planning and if they would go after her or the others again. She wanted him to apologize or say he was joining their side- something, anything but this silence. But she couldn't and he couldn't ask her anything either.

But they both knew what happened- well, sort of. She didn't think either of them could go back to pretending the war was in some other dimension and they were two kids having fun. She looked up at Scorpius, taking one last look. She didn't know if she'd ever be this close to him again. He eyes were beautiful, a deep green, a stark contrast from his stormy hair. His nose was pointed and fine, his cheekbones high and his eyebrows knit in worry over her.

She reached up and cupped his cheek. She wanted to kiss him, but didn't think that would help either of their situations. Other people had written their stories for them, she figured, and it didn't end with them together. Other people had decided on a war with sides and hate and destruction. They had been born in the wrong time period.

She had to let him go and focus on finding the mirror and keeping everyone safe. Scorpius had picked his side. She had picked hers. There was no middle ground. The war had begun. Attacking her was the Invasion of Poland and now war would truly ravage their lives and claim more victims.

She would lie here tonight, cherishing a part of that was about to be lost. She lowered her hand from Scorpius, but he grabbed it and laid it over hers on the bed. She would remember this night, it would never be lost to her. She'd remember the pain in her body, the tearing of her heart, and the way Scorpius looked at her like there was no one else in the world he wanted to be with ever and he just wanted her to get better.

This night, of all nights, would be her reminder of what she had given up for this war and for the greater good.

Scorpius' hand was still in her hair, the other on her hand. They stayed like that, in silence, for a long time. Finally, he stood up, his body hunched over. She watched him and didn't react when he said, "Cheers, Rose."

He should have been different, Rose reflected when he was gone. He should have been brave enough to do the right thing and join the Order. He should have been better. She still felt his hands, so big and warm, on her and held onto the memory as she tried to fall asleep.

_Don't trust anyone,_ Uncle Harry had told her. She wondered if he _had_ been talking about Scorpius. Maybe there was someone else she had been missing because she had been so wrapped up in Scorpius. Or maybe it was Scorpius. Either way, she would get back to work in the morning, or whenever she could get out of the stupid Infirmary.

She would keep going and win this war and everything would be okay. It had to be, because everything sucked right now.

_I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
><em>_You always thought that I was stronger  
><em>_I may have failed  
><em>_But I have loved you from the start  
><em>Fall for You, Secondhand Serenade

* * *

><p><strong>AN**


	14. Emergency

Chapter Fourteen: Emergency

_March 16_

Rose faced a lot of questions when she was released from the Infirmary. No one had been allowed in, any existing patients sent back to their dorms, the whole room had been quarantined. The official story was that Rose had the swine flu- a muggle disease that was highly contagious and a magical cure was still being created. The real story was much grimmer and only a few people knew it.

She told James and the others what had happened. She told them that they all had to keep an eye out since Malfoy might try to come after them and get them on their side. She left out the part about Scorpius coming to see her. Somehow, she didn't think that would go over too well. She remembered Victoire telling her that Scorpius had strong feelings for her, she just didn't know what kind. The other night, Rose didn't know what Scorpius had been feeling, but she knew that it felt like the world was falling apart and reforming at the same time.

But of course Victoire knew. She pulled Rose aside later and together they walked out towards the Black Lake. "Come, sit." Victoire said, taking a seat on the grass. Her nose crinkled at the muddy earth beneath them, it had rained that morning, and she took out her wand, muttering a spell to dry the patch they were sitting on.

Rose smiled, but it was short lived once she realized why Victoire had pulled her away from everyone.

"He came to see you, didn't he? He was like a madman when you finally got back to the castle. When they wouldn't let him in, he disappeared- probably to the Manor to get some answers. When he got back, he didn't make anymore scenes. He tried to act like he didn't care, but he'd walk passed the Infirmary twenty times a day, waiting for any bit of news. He had to have come to see you. Tell me he did, Rose." Victoire looked at her, her eyes sparkling.

Rose sighed. "We aren't some star-crossed lovers like your favorite romance novels, Vic. This is real life."

"He came to see you," Victoire grinned, "What did he say?"

Rose sighed. She didn't want to crush her friend's hopes, but there was no use in prolonging it. "We said goodbye."

Victoire's face clouded over. She nodded, "Strong feelings."

"No..." Rose started, "It isn't that... it's like... the war and our priorities have finally lined up. I'm all in now, Vic. No more playing around and trying to be someone I'm not with someone I can never be with. This is who I am now. I need to accept that."

"And Scorpius? Has he chosen his side?" Victoire asked her.

"I guess so."

Rose stopped spending time in the common room. She kept her dorm- refusing to run into Scorpius. They used to see each other all the time in the common room and Rose couldn't risk facing him. She wasn't ready. She feared he'd see right through her and know where her allegiances laid. Her only advantage was that he didn't know.

The gossip had made it around the school that Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley were over before they had even began. The students said it happened at the dinner, that Scorpius had been flirting with Jamie Parkinson and Rose had flown into a jealous rage. But Scorpius was telling everyone had dumped her because she was too clingy and a know-it-all. With the Quidditch game today, everyone was especially hanging onto every word he said. Rose really hated how Quidditch was turned into the most important thing in the world.

Daphne stayed with Rose on her bed, jabbering on and on about this new Ravenclaw boy with golden blonde hair and a cute mole on his upper lip that spilled pumpkin juice on her at lunch the day. Rose wished she would leave her alone. The truth was that Daphne hadn't left her side since she was released from the hospital and it was really annoying. Oberon hadn't been around as much and he had stopped trying to ask her out, so there was a silver lining.

She wanted to tell Daphne to sod off, but didn't fancy the argument she'd end up getting herself into. She tried her best to ignore her, but Daphne had this high pitched voice- like a tiny chihuahua that shook when it barked. It was impossible to ignore and Rose could easily hear her from across the room. She wondered what would happen if she put a silencing charm on her...

Daphne wasn't that bright... it would probably work.

She didn't have time to think about it anymore because there was a sudden pounding on the door to the girls' dormitory. "Cover yourselves!" The voice of the Head of their House said before Kreyjoy came bounding in with his arm over his eyes.

There were several shrieks and Kreyjoy waited a few moments before opening is eyes. Rose watched him, her face skewed up in a glare since nothing ever good came from Kreyjoy in the girls' room. Like Professor Kreyjoy knew Rose was watching him, he turned to her and quickly flicked his head towards the door.

"Weasley; with me." With that, he turned and stalked back down the stairs out of sight.

Rose didn't like how that sounded. In the past few weeks, every time a teacher had pulled her out of whatever she had been doing, it never had good results. She didn't spare a glance at Daphne whose eyes were probably popping out of her skull to find out what was going on. She followed him, ignoring the very obvious murmurings about her and what was going on.

She didn't ask him where they were going. She was content to wait for whatever dreadful answer she would get. He probably wouldn't tell her anyway. Kreyjoy liked torturing them anyway he could and since McGonagall didn't allow transfiguration of corporal punishment, Kreyjoy settled for mind raping them and Rose didn't know what was worst.

He was leading her towards McGonagall's office. There was no way this was going to be good. Was the who Order here? She hoped her parents weren't. Since whatever had happened at Malfoy Manor- the whole missing her memory thing- her mom had been staring at her like she was about to break any moment, like a glass figurine.

It's a good thing James was around to physically abuse her whenever he felt like it, or she would have gone crazy from everyone tiptoeing around her.

"Truffle Clusters," Kreyjoy muttered, standing in front of the gargoyle statue. The staircase began to twine upwards. Rose followed Kreyjoy.

It was obvious a silencing charm had been placed on the room. Once Rose reached the top of the stairs a mountain of sound hit her full on and she had to take a moment to take it all in. She stumbled, walking into the room. The whole Order was there, all right. They had all shown up at the school so much in the past few days, Rose figured they should have just given up and made Hogwarts their new headquarters.

She spotted her parents standing next to Uncle Harry. As she got closer, she caught her dad's voice saying, "Lets just go get the bloody prats, Harry. We know where they are."

"Yeah!" A voice chimed in, but Rose couldn't tell who it was. The room was so crowded and loud and she was only in one corner. "The Death Eaters are probably already planning an attack on us. Lets beat those lousy wankers to it."

Rose turned her head as a chorus of 'yeahs' joined the noise. She looked over at Uncle Harry who looked pale. She knew engaging in a battle was going to be his last resort. She wished she was at her grandparents' house- the Burrow- with Uncle Harry telling stories about his time at Hogwarts with her parents. She would take that any day over this.

McGonagall's voice was magnified over the noise, authoritative, as she said, "We all saw what the Second War did to everyone. None of us want that again. The longer we can avoid a war and trust Ms. Weasley to find the mirror, the better we will be."

Bullocks. Find the mirror. That stupid, bloody mirror. Why hadn't she been able to find anything about it? She had scoured the library, Neville hadn't found anything in Diagon Alley back in February when he had gone and promised to bring something back. And why did _she_ have to be the one to find it? She was stuck in bloody Hogwarts!

At once, pairs of eyes turned towards her, waiting for news. Rose felt self-conscious but quickly tried to push it aside. She looked at the Sorting Hat perched easily on the shelf above the portrait of a dancing ballerina. It brought her back to her first year when the hat had committed a mortal sin- she had hated that hat. She tried to channel herself from that night of the sorting. She had been impulsive and unafraid the moment the hat hadn't be straight with her.

She faced everyone head on and took a deep breath before spinning a story of total bullshit. "I found this book in the restricted section-" She paused and looked at the Headmistress before muttering an apology, "-and it said that the mirror is somewhere... in the castle."

The crowd began to talk amongst themselves at her revelation and Rose had to grit her teeth to stop herself from coming clean. The mirror was in the castle? The mystical, nowhere to be found, mirror was right under their roof. She didn't know how she was getting out of this one. Either way, it seemed to pacify them and Uncle Harry looked visibly relieved to hear some good news. She would just have to hope very hard that the mirror was in fact in the castle. Maybe she should try Accio Mirror.

They stopped calling for an offensive attack, but Rose knew if she couldn't produce the mirror, they would start up again. She held her ground and tried to listen to the rest of what was being said. She clenched her fists, making sure she remained as strong as she could. It wouldn't be wise to remind all the adults that she was just a kid- technically. She knew they were overlooking it because she was in Slytherin and they were salivating at the idea of having someone inside the Slytherin common room to watch Scorpius at all times. But she was a sixth year, where James was a seventh year and about to be seventeen in two weeks- but James was in Gryffindor with no perks. If she couldn't deliver, she could literally see Uncle Harry in her mind kicking her out.

When the meeting ended, she slipped out of the office as quick as she could. She didn't want to have to deal with her parents' worrying gazes and tight hugs and smothering kisses. There was a draft in the halls and Rose found herself subconsciously reached to her neck for her scarf. She would go back to her room and get it before heading down to the Quidditch Pitch to watch the game.

The castle was pretty empty at this point. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that she had missed nearly the whole first half of the game. No wonder the whole castle looked like it had had a mass migration recently. She expected an easy walk to the common room, but of course stuff like that never happened to Rose.

Avery was there. It was like he knew there had been an Order meeting and Rose would be coming back to the common room. She should have just gone down to the Pitch without her scarf. Who needed a scarf anyway? Why did she need a wooly, green piece of fabric of keep her neck warm. She should have just Accioed the damned scarf to her. Why did she always forget she had magic and didn't need to do something as mundane as walking to get stuff done. James was always making fun of her for that. As soon as he turned seventeen, she knew he'd be prancing around with his wand magicking his way through life.

She couldn't remember what had happened the other night, but it was like her body did. Suddenly all the pain she felt in the Infirmary bed came back and her body ached. Avery's lip curled like he knew what she was remembering- or lack thereof. She wanted to run away as Avery stood to his full height, towering over her.

Instead, she glared and wrapped her hand over her wand, hidden in her robes. Avery smirked and took a step forward. She unsheathed her wand, pointing straight at his chest, "Don't move."

He stopped, the glint in his eyes shining brighter. He held his hands up in mock surrender and she could practically hear his silent laughter. He twirled his wand in the air lazily, like this was all just a big game to him and he was anticipating an easy win.

Her mind had gone blank. She frantically searched for a spell, but nothing made sense anymore. She wished the Order has already clued her in on their super secret alert system in case something went wrong. She was totally alone now. In fact, it wasn't fair. Why did they keep coming after her? There was no way she was going to lose her memory this time. The sudden thought seemed to solidify her resolve as she looked at Avery.

"Easy there, Weaslette ," Avery chuckled. His smirk made her skin crawl. "I'm not here for you."

"W-what?" She stuttered, mentally cursing herself for allowing the weakness to show through. He wasn't here for her? Then who was he here for? Why was he telling her that? It couldn't be for Scorpius- he was out on the stupid Pitch playing that stupid sport and slandering her reputation.

"Ministry business," He grinned at her, "So get whatever it is you need and get out."

"This is my common room, you can't kick me out," She shot back lamely. It had sounded better in her head.

Avery seemed unfazed and looked at her as if she was a tiny little rat on the tube. One of the little fuzzy ones you didn't know if you wanted to pet or squash. She kept her wand pointed at him. She didn't want to let him out of her sight. She didn't trust anything about the slimy git. And there was no way she was going to her _room_ now. It might have been enchanted to keep boys out, but it let professors like Kreyjoy in and she didn't know if it would protect her from a Death Eater.

What would happen if she Avada-ed him right now?

Avery's eyes flashed dangerously like he had read her mind. She vaguely remembered her dad saying something about Death Eaters being skilled at Legilimency. She watched his hand easily twirling his wand like he wasn't the least bit frightened of at all. It put her off and she wanted to prove him wrong, but she had to look at the bigger picture. She knew Kreyjoy would be proud.

Slowly, she tiptoed out, never taking her eyes off him. When the coast was clear, she made a run for it, hoping she'd be able to find someone from the Order. It easy- she ran straight into her dad. His hands were big and rough as they closed in on her shoulders. She hadn't realized she was crying until her dad asked her why she was and was wiping her eyes.

Seeing Avery had had a bigger impact on her than she thought. And she couldn't even remember what he had done. She felt violated and for a moment just wanted to curl up in a corner. But then she felt her dad's frantic emotions, almost like they were being transferred onto her and she finally spit it out, "Avery- in the common room."

She didn't know what he was going to do. Her dad couldn't get into the common room she knew, but she expected him to have a plan. Parents were supposed to be there for everything. They had all the answers, right? By the pained look on his face, it hit her quite hard that he didn't have one. Her brain was cloudy, and she was trying to remember what Uncle Harry had said about remaining nonviolent for as long as they could. If they went charging into the common room and attacked Avery, holding him hostage for answers, the Death Eaters would retaliate.

Her father spun on his heels and yelled, "KREYJOY!"

She followed him up the stairs, stumbling through her tear soaked vision as he raced up the moving stairs two at a time. "Kreyjoy!" He bellowed again, as everyone in the room turned to face him. "Avery is in the Slytherin common room- we need to warn him that we mean business. He comes near our kids and we will start a war."

Rose sniffled, hastily wiping her tears away. So much for not showing her weakness and reminding everyone she was just sixteen. Her mom wrapped her up into a tight hug, and while it was supposed to comforting, Rose felt like she was drowning again. She struggled and breathed in once she was free again.

The words were taken out of her as she saw Uncle Harry, her dad, Kreyjoy, and Uncle Neville stalking out of the room, their lips all drawn in a tight line. Rose chased after them, unsure of what to say. She lagged behind them as Kreyjoy led them into the common room. Cautiously, she followed them and found the four of them lined up in front of Avery, who was lounging on the couch. He looked so unsurprised at seeing them that Rose wondered if he had expected her to go get them. She wondered if she had played straight into his hands. By the stomach churning smile he sent her way, she knew she had and hated herself for it. It was like they were playing their own game of cat and mouse, and Rose couldn't win no matter how hard she tried. There would always be a mousetrap waiting around the corner for her, and Avery would be the tabby chasing her into it.

_If you thought I'd leave then you were wrong  
><em>_'Cause I won't stop holding on  
><em>Emergency, Paramore

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><p><strong>AN Hello! Sadly, my author's note for the last chapter got deleted and I didn't notice until I put it up. Oops. Anyway, I really meant it when I said I update faster when I get reviews and since this story is totally written, there's nothing to stop me from posting every few days. But I really _want_ to get feedback, so _please_ drop me a line. Or else I might let it go for over a week like this again. Thank you to the 2 wonderful lovelies that left me a review :)**


	15. This is War

Chapter Fifteen: This is War

_March 20_

James punched her.

Ever since her breakdown a few days ago, it had gotten worse. James was so afraid she'd spontaneously combust that he punched her at least every hour. She couldn't help it, though. She felt as if there was a big, glaring gap in her mind. The way Avery had looked at her- like they shared a deep, intimate secret- in a weird messed up way, since she couldn't remember it.

She tried and tried. She tossed and turned in bed, waking up from screaming nightmares where Avery was on top of her, holding her down and whispering disturbing words in her ear. Nothing worked- she couldn't get the memory to reveal itself. She didn't want to be this way, tormented every second.

She tried to bring herself back into the present, sitting in the Great Hall after a day of classes with her friends. Lily was sitting across from her, scribbling furiously into her notebook. The feather on her quill was almost invisible as it flitted back and forth. Hugo was doing the same thing on the other side of Rose. Fifth years, Rose grinned to herself, O.W.L.s

Rose turned to James- who _had_ just punched her- and stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled back, probably relieved she wasn't about to cry. James had a phobia of crying girls. Not that she could blame him, because Rose didn't like crying girls either.

She wasn't too fond of herself at the moment.

She stood up and gathered her things, "I'm going to go the library." She looked around the room and then back at her friends. She lowered her voice when she told them, "Order business."

"One week," James muttered, "One week and then you'll have to take me with you."

She knew he was referring to his seventeenth that was a week away. Once he was of age, Rose knew he would be joining the Order. She smiled and waved back at them, heading out of the large double doors. The library was half full when she entered, while Madame Tucker was stamping books with her hand off to the side.

Rose reached into her bag and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak Uncle Harry had given her. She casually walked over to the potions books and slipped it over her. She looked around, finding no one paying her a glance and then headed over to the Restricted Section. Uncle Neville's books had failed, but she had yet used the cloak in the library. Hopefully the answer had been here all along.

She pulled two heavy volumes out, stumbling under their weight. She nearly lost the cloak in the attempt and for a second she feared her feet could be seen. Once she and the books were properly hidden, Rose hurried out of the library and back to the common room.

She remembered Uncle Neville telling her to look through Scorpius' things. It wasn't a bad idea. It seemed she and Uncle Harry's cloak still had some unfinished business to do. She'd plan that escapade later. For now she'd hope these books gave her the answer since "Accio Mirror" had failed. Even "Accio_ Luna Oculo_" didn't work. So Rose was back to riffling through books.

In the dungeons, some of the first years were crowded over by the window. It seemed the Giant Squid was putting on a bit of a show. Rose stuffed the cloak into her bag and hugged the books to her chest. She was glad the squid was there distracting everyone. Her eyes traveled the room and she found Scorpius sitting at the table with Zabini and Goyle playing wizards' chess.

Scorpius looked up at her, like he had known her eyes were on him. Rose felt self conscious and wanted to run her fingers through her hair, but stopped herself. Scorpius sent her a small smile and turned away from him, heading up the stairs to the girls' rooms.

She finally found something. It wasn't much; something tiny and she would have missed it if she had been skimming the heavy volume. There in _Magical Objects of the 800s and Long Lost Spells_, were just two sentences that gave her hope:

_"_Luna Chorus, _The Moon Dance, is an ancient ritual that was mainly used in the fifth century. It wasn't until the late 800s that a mirror known as _Luna Oculus _was created that could reverse the effects of the curse or prevent the moon's powers from taking shape."_

It existed. That blasted mirror existed.

Now she had to find it.

There was a loud bang then, and Rose jumped, the books tumbling from her lap. She got up, scrambled for it and shoved both of them back under her bed. The noise from the common room was getting louder and Rose joined the mass of people heading over to see what was going on.

Scorpius was nowhere to be found- that was the first thing Rose noticed. She looked around, finding Goyle but no Zabini. Goyle looked sickeningly pleased with himself and it put her on edge. She reached for her wand and went down the last few steps.

"What's going on?" A fifth year asked, looking around at everyone.

Rose saw that Scorpius' chess board was on the floor, their pieces scattered. The squid was gone, she observed, seeing nothing but the Black Lake out of the window. A nervous first year piped up, "Scorpius screamed... and then ran out of the common room-" He stopped suddenly, and hastily looked away.

Rose looked over and saw Goyle was glaring at the kid.

"What was the bang?" The fifth year persisted, looking around at everyone.

They all shrugged, no one knowing where it had come from. Professor Kreyjoy burst in, looking around the room, "Is everyone okay?"

"Professor, what is going on?" Rose stepped up, ignoring everyones' mumblings.

"Weasley- Headmistress' office, immediately. The rest of you, some of the Gryffindors let lose an exploding herb-ball."

She didn't even know what that was, but didn't waste time listening to what else Kreyjoy had to say. She ran right past him- something had happened. She saw Uncle Neville up ahead and Madame Alz leaving the Infirmary. Everyone was going to McGonagall's.

The password had already been said, the gargoyle staircase active. She jumped the steps three at a time and slid into the room. She had expected the whole Order- her parents, Uncle Harry... but McGonagall was standing there looking grim with most of the faculty. She saw Rose and her face turned even paler.

"What is going on? Has-"

"War, Ms. Weasley. We are at war."

"What- Wha... what happened?"

"The Death Eaters have launched an attack on Diagon Alley. Already it's being called the Battle of Diagon Alley." McGonagall's voice had no life in it, the words tumbling out of her mouth like she was on a different planet. "Parents will be start showing up by dusk, pulling their kids out of school."

"Where is everyone?" Rose asked, her stomach churning.

"Fighting."

"My parents... they're... in Diagon Alley? Fighting?" Rose asked, sick. They could be dead right now and she wouldn't know until, when? When the fighting stopped and they could go clean up the mess? "We need to go! We need to fight! What are you doing here?"

_"Scorpius screamed... and then ran out of the common room-"_

Scorpius went to fight. He was there now, he must have been. He could be killing someone she loved right now. Or he could be getting killed by someone _she _loved right now. This was all so messed up.

The Battle of Diagon Alley. "What happened? The Death Eaters just showed up and started killing people?" Rose huffed, trying to keep from crying by yelling.

Uncle Neville came over to her and touched her shoulder. "Rose, I'm heading over there now to help. Don't do anything stupid."

She felt like he was saying goodbye, just in case. Rose wanted to slap him, or hug him. But she couldn't bring herself to even look at him. After that he turned to his boss and nodded before striding away, head held high. Rose turned to watch him leave and wanted to run after him and apologize for not being nicer to him. She had to believe he would come back.

She had to believe they would all come back.

"Are we supposed to just stand around and do nothing?" Rose asked, looking around at her professors. "We're all Order members- we're being called upon."

"Rose, our loyalty is to this school. We need to protect the castle, strengthen the wards before they turn their attention to us." McGonagall said, "We already have Death Eaters in our midst. If we all go running off to Diagon Alley, they'd have no problem taking the castle. Our priorities are to keep you, your brother, the Potters, and the castle secure."

Rose shuddered at the thought of running into Avery again. She knew he was there, lurking in corners and watching her. She felt him sometimes.

She turned, heading for Gryffindor Tower. Her feet propelled her forward as her mind wasn't really thinking straight at the moment.

Battle of Diagon Alley.

People were _dying._ There was a slight drizzle falling outside and Rose wondered, quite poetically, if it was Diagon Alley bleeding. She raced to her brother and James and the others. She didn't want to see anyone but them- she didn't know who she could trust.

The Fat Lady was singing an aria when Rose finally reached the portrait. "I need to get inside." she breathed. She had heard stories of the Fat Lady denying students entry until she could finish her song, and Rose hoped today wouldn't be one of those days.

The Fat Lady's head snapped towards her. Her nose crinkled as she took in Rose's uniform, "A Slytherin,"

"It's important." Rose went on, glaring the picture in hopes of shielding her tears.

The Fat Lady didn't seem interested- "I don't let _Slytherins_ into the _Gryffindor _common room. However, if you'd like to hear a song-"

"Listen to me you, daft, old-"

"Rose?" Hugo's voice chimed in behind her and Rose turned suddenly, finding him, James, and Albus. The three of them were soaking wet, teeth chattering, and brooms in their hands. Her lip quivered as the words died at seeing them and she wrapped her arms around herself in hopes of keeping herself in one piece.

"Rose," Her brother said her name firmly this time. His hand came around her shoulders and he pulled her against his side. Her clothes seeped through with rain water, chilling her. "Rose, has something happened?"

James came over to them. "Well she's not crying to get a chuckle out of us."

Rose knew he got sarcastic when he was nervous and trying to break the ice. She wanted to be able to tell them, they had as much a right to know as she did, but she couldn't get the words out. She slumped against her brother and looked at James. Albus walked over to his brother, and Rose noticed how much taller he had gotten. James used to have a whole foot over his younger brother, but not anymore. Now they were the same height and that minuscule change chilled her anymore than the rain water could.

Her parents or Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny could be dead right now, and here were their kids- the next generation- changing and moving forward everyday.

"Rose," Hugo shook her gently, "Say something."

"Lets go somewhere else," James said, eyeing the Fat Lady warily. Rose glanced at the portrait and saw that she had been leaning forward eagerly.

"Never saw a Slytherin cry before," She sneered, put off at being left out of the drama.

Rose didn't hear what nasty thing Albus said to the portrait as Hugo led her away. The Fat Lady was right. She wasn't much of a Slytherin- at least she hadn't been for awhile. So much for being calm, calculated, and casual. She was just a sad, emotional little girl trying to be someone she wasn't.

"Headmistress," Rose muttered.

"What?" James asked, coming up on her other side.

"Lets go to McGonagall's office. It's the only safe place."

"Only safe..." James trailed off before turning to his brother, "Go get the others and meet us there."

Albus glanced at Rose nervously, but then he nodded and doubled back without a word.

Rose pulled away from her brother, determined to walk on her own. She reached for her brother's hand, though, and held it tight. "Licorice sticks," Rose said to the gargoyle statue, and the three of them stepped onto a stair and took the lift up.

McGonagall was pacing. Her hair was down, Rose did a double take. In six years, that was the first time she had ever seen her professor's hair down. James and Albus seemed equally as shocked. "Merlin's beard, professor, you look g-"

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall cut James off quickly, her eyes going wide and her lips forming a straight line, "I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself."

James closed his mouth quickly, but he had a goofy grin on his face and for a moment Rose was able to forget what was going on. She smiled at James and Hugo even seemed to relax at the sight of James reverting into a little boy.

McGonagall began to smile, seeing the three of them happy for a moment. It was a magical second- an escape that they desperately needed. But it passed quickly, and soon enough Teddy, Victoire, and Lily arrived in the office.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, breathing deeply, her hands on her knees.

McGonagall looked at Rose's pale face and then at them all. "The Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley."

James moved first. He was like a lightening bolt striking the earth: there one second and gone in a flash. He jumped into McGonagall's fireplace and shouted, "Diagon Alley!"

The green flames lapped at his body and Lily screamed as James disappeared. Rose stared at the fireplace, her mouth hanging open. McGonagall's lips quivered and she turned quickly, just in time to grab Albus who had run after his brother.

"Let go!" He yelled, squirming in his Headmistress' arms.

Professor Kreyjoy, who Rose had never noticed was in the office, sprang into action. He wretched Albus out of McGonagall's arms and grabbed his shoulders. "I'm going to go get him, okay? Potter, listen to me- I'm gonna go get your brother and bring him back."

Rose watched, dumbfounded, as Albus stared almost uncomprehendingly at the man holding onto him. Kreyjoy didn't wait for an answer- he let go and jumped into the empty fireplace. Rose wanted to follow him- find James, her parents, Uncle Harry, all the innocent people that were walking around living their lives- _shopping_.

Lily was leaning against the wall- slowly falling forward. Victoire and Teddy went over to her side and they formed a tiny circle. Rose was alone- she felt like she was watching it all from another body. She was scared, scared for everyone and everything. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to keep breathing.

Her mind was seeing every possible outcome. She turned to the sorting hat and stalked over to him. She needed to be told something. Why wasn't she like James? Why couldn't she have just run into the fireplace and gone to help? Why, instead, was she standing around, listing all the outcomes in her head and planning everything? Why had the impulsive gene skipped her and infected everyone around her?

The hat seemed unaffected by her rage. It slowly came to life, like she had woken it up from a long slumber. "What are you on about now, Weasley? You're not still mad about Slytherin?"

"How do you choose?" She asked, "How do you _know _what House to put someone in? Do you see into their soul or something?"

The hat chuckled, "You always ask the wrong questions. Always have. That's why you weren't put in Ravenclaw."

Rose sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. Her rage fizzled then and she gaped at the hat, struggling for words. The hat seemed to read her mind and know what was troubling her. It softened, and for the first time seemed to empathize with her.

"There is nothing wrong with valuing strategy over action. 'Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure'."

"I thought you said I'd never be a Ravenclaw," Rose muttered, staring at the floor.

"You never will be, but that House does know what they're talking about. It can apply to you, too, Rose Weasley. Do not doubt yourself because you are different. People spend their whole lives trying to change themselves into what others think are better, the irony is that those people are trying to change themselves as well."

Rose mulled his words over and nodded. She didn't have anything to say that was smarter than that, so she decided to keep her mouth shut. She knew James or Hugo would have pushed that hat for more. But she wasn't them.

Rose walked over to McGonagall, who had sat down at her desk. Rose studied her Transfiguration teacher and Headmistress. She must have been beautiful years ago- and she still was, but in an older, elegant way. Now, it was obvious how time and loss and worn her down. But Rose looked at McGonagall and saw the most worldly woman that had ever existed. McGonagall might have been in Gryffindor, but she hadn't gone charging into Diagon Alley the moment she was alerted to what was going on. She had stayed, which in some way, may have been braver, and dedicated herself to saving every student she could. She missed James, but that hadn't stopped her from saving Albus.

Rose decided that she wanted to be like McGonagall when she grew up.

Headmistress McGonagall looked up at Rose and offered her a sad smile. She held her hand out, and Rose took it. She followed McGonagall's line of vision with her own and saw the portrait of the old headmaster Dumbledore.

"My old friend, how I miss you," McGonagall whispered.

_A warning to the people  
><em>_The good and the evil  
><em>_This is war  
><em>_To the soldier, the civilian  
><em>_The martyr, the victim  
><em>_This is war  
><em>_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie  
><em>_The moment to live and the moment to die  
><em>_The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight  
><em>This is War, Thirty Seconds to Mars

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><p><strong>AN Hello everyone! Thanks so much for reviewing last time! I'm pretty sure that was the most reviews I got for a chapter, so as a reward I've updated very quickly! Please keep reviewing and I'll keep updating in a timely manner. Bit more info on the mirror, but it looks like Rose is running out of time! **


	16. Grey Street

Chapter Sixteen: Grey Street

_March 21 _

Nothing was the same after that. Kids were pulled out of school so quickly, that by the next morning, the Great Hall was half full. Families were fleeing, terrified of the destruction the last war caused. Diagon Alley was a safety hazard. Buildings were collapsing every minute, the air polluted with toxic gases fired from wands. There were bodies everywhere. It was impossible to know which side lost more people.

In the end, it was Uncle George that made contact with Hogwarts. He said his shop was destroyed, but they were okay. Viktor Krum was dead- Rose hadn't even known he was fighting for the Order. She'd met him once, her dad hadn't liked him very much. She hadn't heard from her parents or Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and it made her anxious. But she knew they were okay, so that was all that mattered.

Kreyjoy returned with a beaten James. McGonagall had shouted, looking at James' tattered clothes and bloody lip. But she gave up shortly and hugged him. They had all crowded into a corner in the office and James relayed to them what he saw.

"I couldn't see anything. There was just smoke everywhere. There was all this shouting and sounds of spells rebounding." He had whispered, a grin on his face. "It was the most exhilarating thing."

Lily gasped, "James, that's sick."

"This need to survive- adrenaline pushing you forward. It was like... a battle high." James plowed on.

"You were there for like... six minutes." Victoire quipped.

James didn't listen and kept going. Rose shivered as she remembered the way he spoke so easily of being in battle. It was hard to focus in Potions- her mind kept slipping back into everything that was going on. It felt so much bigger than schoolwork. School was insignificant in the real world. In battle, it didn't matter who was Head Girl or who looked best in their uniform. All that mattered was if you knew how to survive.

"Weasley," Kreyjoy's voice burst through her thoughts. She realized he was reprimanding her for zoning out. "Once more and I'll be forced to take points away," He threatened with a knowing look on his face.

She slumped down her chair and focused on her brewing potion. Couldn't he leave her alone? She had done the work. Was it so bad if she wanted to just sit there and think, driving herself mad? On second thought, maybe he was just trying to help keep her sane.

Daphne had gone to Madame Alz, complaining of a sore throat, so Rose was alone at her potion desk. She looked around the room since her thoughts couldn't be trusted. She had Potions with the Ravenclaws and knew none of their names. Some looked vaguely familiar, she hadn't bothered herself with looking at any of them before. Their side of the room was more empty. She realized, quite stereotypically, their were more Slytherins in the school now. Hardly any of them had been pulled out, probably because their families were all in on it together.

She was treading in deep water and tried to think about something else.

Scorpius' head was blocking her view. Her eyes narrowed in a glare. She wished she could shoot lasers out of her eyes. Scorpius was the biggest coward there was. _And _ he tried to act so tough- so invincible and witty and charming. She imagined crunching him with the palm of her hand and reveling in his begs for mercy, cries of anguish. She'd make him suffer before the war was over. He had been in that fight at Diagon Alley. Why else had he disappeared from the castle?

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Kreyjoy whispered in her ear, as he passed by. Rose glared at him, but most of all she hated it when professors walked up and down aisles eyeing students' work. It annoyed her to no end and always made her mess up. She looked away from Scorpius and watched Kreyjoy instead.

His shoes shined in the light, showing off the cobra skin. She wasn't a woman _scorned._ She was rightfully angry because of justice and mortality and all that other shit she shouldn't have cared about. But she did. And she couldn't just sit around watching Scorpius Malfoy and all the other Death Eaters getting away with inflicting pain on the innocent and prancing around with their pure-blood, idealistic, bullcrap prejudice.

If they wanted to hate the world; fine. But in no way did that mean they could force their views on others.

Her blood was boiling and her leg twitching. She didn't know if she'd be able to sit quietly for the last twenty minutes of class. She had the cloak in her bag- she could just walk out of class and disappear. Go look for the mirror. Do _something_.

Suddenly, she remembered seeing Scorpius up on the seventh floor. She hadn't known what he was doing. It had been a month ago- but maybe she could still figure it out. It was better than just sitting here. If she just walked out it would look suspicious.

She asked Kreyjoy if she could go to the nurse. He quirked an eyebrow at her and Rose wondered if he knew exactly what she was going to do. He might have. She knew Kreyjoy was badass- or a creep- like that. He didn't stop her.

Pushing her chair back, she didn't hesitate to leave. Scorpius turned to look at her, but she didn't trust herself to keep a poker face. She turned away, giving him the cold shoulder. For a second she remembered them both in the Infirmary when she was playing sick and he broke his wrist. He had seemed concerned. Not anymore.

In the hall, she pulled the cloak on and dashed up to the seventh floor. The portraits she passed on her way were talking amongst themselves about the war. She didn't listen to what they said. She ran so fast, she nearly ran right through Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. She had spoken to him twice, only because James dragged her over to him and made her. He hadn't liked her very much on account of her being Slytherin, but had tried to be civil all the same. Even the damn ghosts weren't immune prejudice!

Either way, it would have been risky if she had run into Nick whilst invisible. He probably would have caused a scene, shrieking about an intruder in the school like a damned Gryffindor would. It was best she swerved, successfully avoiding him.

It was amazing how little had changed since last time. Sure all students were required to take Muggle Studies. Big whoop. What had changed in the Ministry? Nothing. Pure-blood families that very obviously supported anti-muggle born legislation were still in power. Half of the Death Eaters from the last war were never given proper trials and let go. Hardly any of them went to Azkaban.

How was anyone supposed to prevent a third war when nothing had changed? Defeating Voldemort wasn't the whole picture. It was the beginning. Voldemort was one being, but his following was huge. It was like telling a child not to take a cookie, but leaving the cookie sheet out, steaming with freshly baked goodies.

She couldn't find any room. It didn't make sense. She had seen him! But now... nothing. Rose steamed, she could practically see it coming out of her ears, like one of those muggle cartoons her dad liked watching. She couldn't admit defeat. She needed to figure out what he was doing and stop him.

* * *

><p>In light of the war and in order to keep up appearances, the "Ministry officials" had to leave Hogwarts. Rose was happy to see them leave, but it made her uneasy. Hopefully they hadn't been able to plant anything destructive or weaken defenses. Rose hardly suspected it would be her job to find out. Uncle Harry would send someone in. She had to find the mirror and... watch Scorpius Malfoy.<p>

She went back to stalking him. It was the only way. She followed him out of the castle that morning, as he went for his usual run. She was pleased to see his routine hadn't changed while she'd been away. He ran smoothly, fluidly. He was strong, Rose knew, and wondered how much damage he'd inflicted at Diagon Alley.

They moved around the castle, Rose fighting to keep the cloak covering her. She was determined to find something detrimental to his cover. This had gone for too long. She didn't care how she had felt about him- and maybe how she still felt about him- he had killed that shot by his allegiances. Now it was time to put humanity above everything, because if they won, no one stood a chance.

Finally, she caught a break. Just as the Forbidden Forest came into view, Scorpius stopped suddenly. She ran up next to him and looked at his shocked face. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, staring at the forest. Quickly, his head snapped towards her. She held her breath, hoping he hadn't guessed she was there. He looked away and stiffened when a light shown for a second.

A signal.

She listened as he swore under his breath and muttered angrily during his whole walk towards the forest. Rose followed a few paces behind, most of what he said unintelligent. She couldn't get too close. She needed to keep her cover. She held her wand tightly in one hand, while the other fisted the cloak. If she lost it, she'd probably be dead.

They walked, Rose wondering who they were going to see. She tried to breathe as quietly as possible. Finally, the figure began to come into view. He was tall, not wearing a cloak. Rose squinted and then began to see the matching silver, blonde hair.

Draco Malfoy.

Scorpius stopped a few feet from his father. Obviously there would be no loving reunion.

"What do you want?" Scorpius broke the staring competition, his voice hard and his fist clenched.

"Don't take that tone with me, boy." Draco shot back, his eyes like ice.

"_What_ do you want?" Scorpius pressed again.

The tension was so thick that Rose knew if she made on move, they'd hear her. She stayed still and listened, taking notes in her head, determined not to forget a thing.

"Does she remember?" Draco asked, his tone changing drastically. He sounded... concerned...

"No," Scorpius muttered, dropping his eyes to the ground, "You saw to that."

"It's better this way,"

"You didn't want her to remember so she couldn't go blabbing to the Order about what she'd seen or what had happened. Not so she wouldn't remember whatever shit Avery did to her." Scorpius answered, glaring at his father.

They were talking about her. Rose struggled to remain still.

"Nevertheless, what's done is done. Are you two still... apart?"

He was asking Scorpius about their relationship? What was this? Give your son dating advice night? She couldn't bring this to the Order!

"That's none of your concern."

Draco smirked, "Touchy. Rose Weasley is not what I came to discuss."

Scorpius glared, "Then get on with it," and for once Rose was on his side.

"There is a raid tonight, planned for Spinner's End. It's a muggle town for the most part. I'm telling you now, that we won't have a repeat of Diagon Alley." Draco sent a pointed look and Rose was shocked to see Scorpius look down, a red tint appearing on his cheeks in the dark.

"Fine," He said, curtly, and then through thin lips asked, "Is that all?"

"Not quite," Draco said gleefully, seeing how much Scorpius wanted to leave.

"Then..."

Rose bit her lip, her right leg beginning to hurt from remaining in the same position. At least she had something to tell the Order, something they could use. That was important. As long as she got out of this unscathed, it would be okay.

"_Phases of the Moon and Dark Spells,"_ Draco nodded, "Find it."

"Good. Can I go now?"

"Yes," Draco smiled sadly, "You can go."

Scorpius nodded and stared awkwardly at the ground. She had expected him to stalk off, but instead he glanced at his dad and said, "Say hi to mum."

"I will. And study for your Potions test."

"Sod off," Scorpius muttered, and turned, heading back to the castle.

Rose stayed where she was, waiting until Draco Malfoy left. He was watching his son go and Rose almost felt bad for the guy. She pushed that feeling away and bit her lip when his eyes turned to her. This was it, he'd caught her. She didn't know how, but he was going to drag her back to Malfoy Manor and do something far worse this time. She held her breath and had a spell ready for the moment he stepped forward.

But he chuckled. To himself.

"Oh, Draco, you're getting old, mate," He turned from her and stepped into the cover of the forest. He was gone.

Rose let out a breath of relief and fell back onto the grass. She couldn't believe she had done it. She had spied on Scorpius and Draco- got a place for there next raid and a book that would hopefully help them figure out the ritual.

She had to be running on pure adrenaline, Rose suspected, as she made it to her last class of the day. She had barely any sleep under her belt and for some reason all her teachers had decided to pile on the work. She had told McGonagall she had Order news- important news- and McGonagall assured her she would get Harry here before the school day ended.

It was their last class, he had to show up any second now. Her last class was Astronomy and they were assigned pages to read in class. Rose couldn't focus and kept glancing at the clock. Finally, the note came from McGonagall, excusing her from class. Rose jumped up and headed for the office. She took the steps from the tower two at a time.

_How _did she always run into Scorpius? How? And _why?_ What kind of irony was this?

"How are you?" Scorpius asked her. His voice was soft and his eyes kept darting around the hall like he was worried someone would walk in on them.

Why wasn't he in class? And why was he talking to her? She wanted to keep playing the silent game, let the school do the talking for them. According to the student body, Rose had lost whatever popularity she had by becoming another girl to Scorpius. She had ignored all of it, since none of them knew anything, but it started to annoy her as she watched him now.

"I'm just peachy." She spat at him. "And you?"

"Come now, poppet, you can't be-"

"Did you just call me... 'poppet?'" Rose sputtered, gaping at him.

Scorpius grinned and for a moment, it almost felt like their relationship had gone back to normal: easy jokes, teasing, casual conversations scattered throughout the year... "What? You don't like it?"

Rose rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She was going to see Uncle Harry and tell him about their plans for tonight. Scorpius wasn't the kid he used to be. And she wasn't either and it was about time she stopped having flashbacks to those days because they weren't coming back.

He didn't stop her, but she felt his gaze on her and wondered what he was thinking. She made it to McGonagall's office and found Uncle Harry there. It was the first time she had seen him since the battle and she ran to him for a hug. He happily squeezed her back, and whispered his greeting to her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pulling away to look at him. There was a gash on his forehead, near his scar, but he looked good.

"I'm fine, and so are your parents. Your dad banged up his leg, but your mom's been taking good care of him. I think it's just a bruise now." He told her, trying to put all her worries at ease. "Now, what do you know?"

And she told him. She started at Draco coming out of the Forbidden Forest and even that he had asked about her before telling Scorpius what he had come to say. His face hardened at the mention of Spinner's End and he immediately made a call to warn the others and have them on guard and ready to move. He hadn't heard of the book, but he said, "I'll try to get it. But it sounds like a dark book, so I won't know where to find it."

Before she could say anything, her father appeared in McGonagall's fireplace. Rose looked between her dad and Uncle Harry before going over to hug him. She held onto her dad- having not seen him since the battle either. He held her back and for a moment, she felt perfectly safe.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Her dad beamed, "I'm the guy."

"What?" Rose asked, looking frantically at Uncle Harry.

"I'll be checking out what Avery and the rest of those pushy Death Eaters did to the castle." Her dad said, smiling at his daughter. "Which means I'll be around... you and your brother... and Scorpius Malfoy."

"Dad! What? No!" She turned to Uncle Harry, accusingly, "You said he busted his leg!"

Uncle Harry smiled nervously at her, "Ron's the best one to do it."

"Why? So he can spy on me and make sure I'm not goo-goo eyed for Malfoy?"

"Are you... '_goo-goo eyed' _for Malfoy?" Uncle Harry asked, chucking to himself.

"No!" Rose shrieked back, maybe a little too quickly, because her dad tensed and looked over at Uncle Harry.

"It's a good thing I'm here."

_I dreamed myself thousand times around the world  
><em>_But I can't get out of this place  
><em>Grey Street, Dave Matthews Band

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><p><strong> AN Hello! Thanks for the continuing reviews! It makes me really happy to hear from you. I know you want more romance, but I am trying to be realistic. Scorpius is a Death Eater, fighting for the evil dudes. That is kind of bad. And we all know how smart Rose is. I'm getting there, though. So drop me a line :) Until 17, cheers guys!**


	17. Jack and Coke

Chapter Seventeen: Jack and Coke

_April 1_

As a seventeen year old, James Potter joined the Order. Today was his first meeting and he stood next to Rose in rapt attention. McGonagall's office wasn't as full as many of the members were off fighting. The war had been raging on for days now and each side had been fighting, losing guys and fighting some more.

James was determined to not mess this up. He was going to be mature and do what was expected of him. He wouldn't zone out or crack jokes. He'd be the perfect model and show his dad that he could be depended upon. He'd help win this war and then retire himself to a life of professional Quidditch and philandering.

However, James was forced to learn rather quickly, nothing really productive ever happened at Order meetings. He glanced at Rose halfway through to see if she was as bored as he was. She was bitting her lip and looked distressed. James glanced away and back at his dad who was speaking determinedly about staying strong.

The meeting ended shortly after that, with nothing really helpful having been said. James wondered if Death Eaters meeting were just as unproductive. For their sake, he hoped they were. He walked next to Rose and inquired softly, "The mirror..."

"Nothing. All I found was that stupid sentence. I'm gonna look through Malfoy's things as soon as I get the chance." Rose told him, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

James nodded, wishing he had something to do. "How's your dad?"

Rose sighed. "He's walking around the castle like... like Sherlock Holmes or something."

James smiled and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Rose was positively miserable that her dad was in the castle permanently. She carried on, "Looking for clues and spying on me and Scorpius like he thinks I'm planning on jumping Scorpius' bones or something,"

"Jumping my bones eh, Rosie? Well, I always knew you had strong feelings for me, but this is-"

James turned, finding Scorpius behind them. He didn't know how long Malfoy had been trailing them but hoped it hadn't been that long. Rose looked ready to _Avada Kedavra _someone, probably Malfoy.

"April Fools, Malfoy," Rose hissed, glaring at Scorpius Malfoy like he was slime on the bottom of her shoes.

Malfoy smirked at her and James wasn't sure if he should intervene or slip off quietly and unnoticed. "Now, now, Rosie five years of forepl-"

"Okay!" James cut in madly, "I'm leaving now." Hearing about whatever warped romance his childhood friend and Scorpius Malfoy had going on was not how he wanted to spend the rest of his afternoon.

Rose turned to him to give him a hug. When they pulled away, James noticed Scorpius was still there, like he couldn't wait to finish their fight. James glared at him in parting and headed off to the common room. He figured he'd work on a new play for next week's Quidditch game. Gryffindor were second in the standings and he was determined to move them up to first- overtaking Slytherin.

"James!" A female voice called out to him, sending him nearly to the floor. She always put him off balance and he spun around quickly, his eyes finding Shailene jogging over to him. He smiled brightly, without a moment's thought and waved to her. She was exactly what he needed after that awful Order meeting.

Her dimples were showing as she smiled and James could feel his brain going to mush. Was it possible to like a girl that much? She wrapped her arms around his neck and James reveled in the moment. She smelled like vanilla and in that moment it became his favorite scent.

"Hey," She smiled.

"H-hi. Go for a walk?" He asked, trying to be confident. He hadn't felt this off center a minute ago, but throw Shailene into the mix and his whole ego disappeared like pies at a pie eating contest.

"Sure," She slid her hand into his and James' did a victory dance in his head. He prayed to Merlin his hand wasn't sweating. They headed out onto the grounds and down to the Black Lake. The Whomping Willow was blooming with pink blossoms and James imagined plucking one and putting it behind her ear. She'd look flawless. The only hitch was that the Whomping Willow would probably murder him.

They talked easily about Quidditch and their plans after school. While James had been guaranteed a job at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and looking for an apartment with some of his fellow Quidditch teammates that were also graduating, Shailene had been busy applying to several medical internships at St. Mungo's. It startled him since he had been offered internships left and right without applying for anything. One of the perks of being the famous Harry Potter's kid. He reminded himself of his favorite quote from his favorite book his Aunt Hermione had given him: The Great Gatsby.

Her hand felt nice in his hand and for a moment James was able to forget all the danger they were in. He hoped when the war was over, they'd be able to spend more time together. He thought she was the most beautiful, interesting, and brilliant girl he'd ever met. It was easy to listen to her talk about why she wanted to go into medicine and how Madame Alz had been practically begging to write her a letter of recommendation for the internship.

"What are you thinking about?" Shailene asked, smiling up at him, "I know you stopped listening a few yards ago."

James blushed. He couldn't very well tell her that he had been thinking about how amazing she was and how much he wanted to spend more time with her. He was a bad liar, though, and her eyes were so bright and her face was dusted in light freckles that he found too adorable. He tried to laugh it off so it didn't sound as corny, "Just the future and you and... whatever."

She looked away from him, but kept her hand grasped in his. James was worried he had ruined their walk, but instead she turned to him and said, "Are you ever going to ask me out? Because I really like you and it seems like you feel the same way, but..."

"I-" They stopped walking and James felt his mouth go dry. He took her other hand and said, "I really want to, but-"

"But what?" She asked, "It's very simple, as I see it. You like me and I like you, that should be the end of it. We're both single." Her eyes widened and she added, "We _are_ both single, right?"

"Yes," James chuckled. He moved to push his hair back, but realized both his hands were clasped with Shailene's. "I'm single and I like you, it's just... you see, with this war going on... I'm not exactly... I'm kind of indisposed."

"Indisposed?" Shailene asked, one eyebrow rising.

James nodded, "And when I do ask you out," He said confidently, "I want it to be when I can make you my priority. That is... if you'll still have me when the time has come."

"Indisposed..." She hadn't seemed to have heard him. James recognized that look. She got it when she was thinking very hard about something, almost like she was on a whole other wavelength. "Indisposed..."

"Shea-" He started, hoping she'd say something else.

"You turned seventeen last week... and you're a Potter... oh my gosh." Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. "You," She lowered her voice, "You're in the Order of the Phoenix!"

"SHHH!" James said, frantically. He looked around, elated to see they were all alone, but then suddenly realized what his reaction had confirmed everything. "I mean-" He added quickly, seeing Shailene's face as she realized she had been right. "Psh, no. Why would I be in the-" He lowered his voice with a furtive glance, "_Order of the Phoenix?" _

"James, I'm in Ravenclaw and even a Hufflepuff could figure it out."

He caved. "Look- you can't tell anyone." He was an awful liar and Shailene was too smart.

"Why would I tell anyone?" She asked, glaring at him, "I like you, remember? Why would I try to get you killed faster?"

"I'm not going to die-"

"You don't know that, James."

"Fine, but I'm going to do everything in my power _not _to die, and once this is over, I'll ask you out and then-" He couldn't finish, because Shailene had leaned up and planted her lips firmly on his. It took him a second to realize what was going on, but once he did, he happily wrapped his arms around her and responded to her kiss.

* * *

><p>"Dad," Rose moaned, exasperated, "<em>Stop it,"<em>

Her father's body appeared from under the cloak. She knew he was there because the invisibility cloak stopped at his knees. "And give me the cloak back," She added, reaching her hand out to take it. She was weary from the day. After the Order meeting and her fight with Scorpius, the last thing she wanted to deal with was her father snooping around the castle.

The hall was empty as it was spring and Saturday, so everyone was outside enjoying the weather. Her dad smiled brightly at her, "Hows your day going, love?"

She groaned. "Can you please just... I don't know... stop following me?"

"Rose," Her dad started, like she was slow, "What would happen if Malfoy should send another one of his goonies to snatch you? He won't get away with it this time."

"Dad, I'll be fine," Rose said, "Please, just, let me be. I know it's not just Draco Malfoy you want to protect me from."

She watched her dad's eyes flash at the insinuation. He leaned closer to her and said, "I don't like him, Rosie, and I don't trust him. Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix. Never have, never will."

"Newsflash, dad, Scorpius and I have been living together for _six years_. We-"

"Stop!" Her dad said quickly, covering his ears, "I don't want to hear."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Real mature." She turned, heading back to the common room. Her dad couldn't follow her there- perk of being in Slytherin when her whole family had been in Gryffindor.

She remembered writing that horrible letter home first year, about how she had been sorted into the wrong house.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I made it to Hogwarts in one piece. The castle is beautiful, I can't believe I get to live here for seven years. I miss you and Hugo already, but please don't tell him that. So anyway, as tradition, the sorting happened and when the Headmistress put the hat on me, it put me in Slytherin. I'm so sorry I messed up the family tree and I promise to not do anything wrong and become evil. I'll work hard and get good grades and I won't be anything like Slytherins. Please don't be mad, I couldn't help it. I'm so sorry. I don't know why I got put in Slytherin, I only wanted Gryffindor, just like the whole family. I never meant to disappoint you guys. I hope you don't hate me._

She had been so scared to hear what her parents were going to say. She remembered feeling like they were going to disown her. It had been the hardest night, impossible to sleep. She had felt sick and miserable and also this dull sense of rebellion. She wasn't supposed to have been let out of the common room at that point, but Kreyjoy had probably taken pity on her distressed eleven year old form and led her to the owlery to send the letter.

The response came that morning at breakfast.

_Dear Rose,_

_Sweetheart, we could never hate you. We love you so much. Being sorted into Slytherin house does not automatically condemn you to a life of evil. It's just a stereotype. We are who we are because of the choices we make. I'm very pleased to hear you want to work hard and get good grades, but do it because you want good grades, not because you feel like you have to prove something to us. Never forget that we love you. Never be afraid you're going to lose us, because you could become Voldemort incarnate and we would still love you more than life itself, okay? No one blames you for being sorted into Slytherin and it doesn't make us feel or think any different about you. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny either, okay? You will always have us. _

_It will be a tough adjustment, but we have full faith in you, love. And I know James, Teddy, Victoire, and Albus will help you as much as they can. Uncle Neville is also there for you. You are so strong, my love, you'll be fine. Forget whatever prejudiced slander your father has told you about Slytherin house and form your own opinions and make your own friends. Be happy and enjoy your time at Hogwarts because it will be some of the best years of your life. We will always be here for you. We'll be thinking of you and wishing for your success and happiness. Hugo is waiting for you to; he enjoys doing his homework at your desk and dusts your snow globe collection for you religiously. _

_Everything will be okay, Rose. Things happen for a reason and you may not feel that way right now, but I know in time that you will be happy with where you are. Be well, my girl, and write often. We love you._

_All our love,_

_Mum and Dad_

Rose knew her mother had written that letter, but she didn't care. She carried that letter with her everywhere her first year. Now she kept it under her pillow and read it whenever she needed a pick me up. Her mother was the best person in the whole world and Rose was so happy she had her. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to make it through her first year without her.

She had a meeting with Kreyjoy about her future, as did all the sixth years at the end of the school year. Glancing behind her, she didn't see her dad or his obscenely tall legs, and felt a tiny bit of relief. She wasn't sure what she was going to talk to Kreyjoy about since she didn't really _have_ any plans for the future. She had decided way back in first year that her goal was to make it through her seven years at Hogwarts as a Slytherin and then she'd tackle the next obstacle.

It was hard to believe she had almost concluded that goal.

She headed down to the dungeons and knocked at Kreyjoy's door. He called his greeting through and she stepped in, finding his desk just as neat as it always was. He was sitting comfortably on his chair, reading from a file.

"Sit, Weasley," He commanded, easily, his eyes never leaving the folder.

She glared, but complied. He looked up at her and dropped the file onto his desk, "Impressive record, except for Care of Magical Creatures, but we can't all be perfect, I guess."

She shrugged, "I don't do animals."

"So, Weasley, the future. Do you have a plan so that this meeting can end quicker?"

"Not in so many words," She told him, not even flinching when he rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm required to recommend jobs you'd be good at based on your grades. In your case, I'm gonna make this easy. You can do whatever you want, besides anything that involves animals. Got it?" Kreyjoy said, looking at her pointedly.

"Got it."

"Are you thinking of you furthering your studies? Such as law or medicine?"

"I'd consider it," It was an honest answer because she was up for anything at this point. It was all so uncertain, what with this war going on, she might not even have to make a decision.

"How about a job? Or an internship? Are you going to live at home after you graduate? Many students like moving to Lengthy Creek or Green Rock. You should really start thinking about this stuff, Rose. You'll be picking classes for next year next week and it'd be good if you had a goal to work towards." Kreyjoy seemed disappointed at her lack of thought for the future.

"If you haven't noticed," She started, her voice catching, "I've kind of had bigger things on my mind."

He sighed, "I know you've been stressed and busy, but you can't let your own personal goals disappear because you're fighting a war for so many people. This war will be over one day and then what will you have?"

"How do you know I'll be around when the war ends?" She fired back, annoyed at being talked down to.

His eyes hardened and he said through gritted teeth, "Because I will be around making sure you or the Potter kid don't get yourselves killed."

She felt guilty, automatically remembering how quickly he had comforted Albus and then gone after James without any hesitation. He really was looking out for them. All he wanted was a future for them and there she was being so ungrateful.

"I'm sorry," She said, her eyes downcast. "I'll try to think of what I want to do, okay?"

Kreyjoy nodded, stiffly, "Good. Meeting is finished, go now."

She stood up and adjusted the strap of her bag. She left his office and headed for the common room. She was tempted to stop off in the potions room and look through his listing of internships to show him she would actually do it, but instead went back to the room.

Scorpius was sitting on the couch. He didn't look up at her when she walked in, still mad at her from their fight earlier. Rose had won that round and she grinned to herself as she headed up the girls staircase. She would need to figure out how to get into his bag. Hopefully he had something in there she could use to the Order's advantage.

_Everybody's growing up around me,  
><em>_But I ain't got no patience so  
><em>_Let's have another jack and coke  
><em>Jack and Coke, Alex Day

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hi guys. Number of reviews dropped :( I'm leaving for LeakyCon tomorrow! Please, please review and I'll update as soon as I get home on Sunday, if not, then who knows when. I hope you're enjoying, there's about five chapters left at this point. :D Cheers**


	18. Move Toward the Darkness

Chapter Eighteen: Move Toward the Darkness

_April 22_

At dinner, Rose was sandwiched between Oberon and Daphne. Daphne was going on an on about her new fling- because Daphne never learned the meaning of the word monogamy. Oberon, on the other hand, seemed to have fallen back into his old crush. He kept trying to touch her knee or whisper a joke in Rose's ear.

Rose flinched away for not the first time that evening and scanned the room for Lorcan. She had slipped him a note this morning, asking him to save her at dinner. He wasn't at the Ravenclaw table, but she spotted James laughing hysterically over at the Gryffindor table at her expense. Lily slapped her brother and then sent her an apologetic smile, but her own amusement at the situation shined through.

Rose glared. Where was Lorcan? At this point she would rather have Scor-

It happened quickly. One second it wasn't there, and then the next it was. She didn't know how she could sense him, but she could. Her heart pounded and her throat felt dry. Scorpius Malfoy was looking at her. She didn't dare glance over at him, part of her furious and the other part a mess. How did he always manage to off put her?

The feeling passed. She cautiously lifted her head and glanced over through the curtain of ginger hair. Scorpius was talking to Zabini, like he hadn't been staring at her moments ago. She let out a breath and turned back to her friends. Victoire had been watching the whole thing, and Rose figured she'd have to listen to her dissection of the situation later.

"Do you-" Finally, Lorcan showed up, and Oberon jumped back, hitting his leg on the table.

Rose felt herself breaking out into a smile. She jumped up from the table and grabbed her bag. "Lorcan, hey,"

He smiled at her, and for a moment, she felt her stomach lurch. _What was that?_ Her eyes widened at the thought, she could not like Lorcan. That would throw this whole situation into a whole other level of messed up. Or maybe not. Lorcan was someone she could date without worrying about him being a Death Eater, and her family liked him- now was not the time to be considering this.

"Bye guys," She muttered to Daphne and Oberon, before heading to the head of the table to meet Lorcan. She took his hand, as part of the show, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. It might have been the wrong thing to do- or the right thing- since the whole student body turned to look at them. Suddenly, they had something new to gossip about. Were Lorcan and Rose back together? What had happened between them anyway on that Valentine's date?

Rose risked a glance back at Scorpius. She hadn't even thought about what she was doing, she'd just done it. Scorpius had seen. His lips were drawn in a tight line and his eyes narrowed at them. Before she could stop herself, she waved. She heard everyone in the hall gasp and McGonagall's voice over the noise, "Get back to your meals! Nothing to see."

Outside, Rose reveled in the cool air. She didn't let go of Lorcan's hand even though they didn't need to act anymore. "Thanks so much, I don't think I've properly thanked you for everything. You've really saved my butt."

Lorcan laughed, "Is Oberon that bad?"

"Worse." She grinned, bumping her hip against his. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as my fake boyfriend."

Lorcan's eyes twinkled in the dark, "Better than a freckled fringe-warbler?"

Rose didn't forget her many scars from Care of Magical Creatures. "How do you guys just travel all over the world? You've been to the jungle, isn't that... I don't know...?"

Lorcan smiled at her lack of words. "It's gorgeous. All the life just bursting forth. Not like here. Everything here is contained- concrete, bricks, electricity... but out there it's just pure life."

Rose took this all in, and looked at the looming structure of the castle. It was beautiful, and though it was stone, it housed life and fostered growth. She imagined a clump of trees that tall, that real- breathtaking. "I should like to see it someday."

"Maybe I'll take you," It felt intimate and Rose was in no hurry to leave. She glanced at Lorcan and blushed when he squeezed her hand. It felt nice, easy, normal.

"What are your plans after school?" She asked, thinking back to her meeting a few weeks ago. She had really tried to come up with a life plan, she wanted to do that for Kreyjoy, but nothing seemed right.

"I'm thinking of opening an apothecary... in South America."

Her eyes widened, "Leave... the UK... but..."

He smiled, "I know, it's a big change. But South America is- you have to go someday. It's this blend of jungle and civilization. It's beautiful, Rose."

Her body tingled. She smiled at him, "It sounds breathtaking."

"Breathtaking," He mused, "Such an interesting word. One doesn't hear it often..."

"I'm one of a kind,"

"You are, truly, Rose Weasley."

She wanted to kiss him. It happened so fast, one moment they were talking about the future and holding hands easily enough, the next they were wrapped up in each other in a torrid embrace, snogging the pants off each other.

His hair was soft in her hands and his lips were even softer. Rose almost lost her balance, but held onto him. When they pulled away, Lorcan smiled blissfully and his eyes were glossy. His voice sounded dreamy when he finally said, "Wow."

"Yeah," Rose murmured, embarrassed. She stared down at the grass, but couldn't stop her pounding heart. What had she done? Why had she kissed Lorcan like that? It wasn't- proper, rather... everything was getting too twisted. She hoped her dad wasn't spying.

The thought seized her quickly and she looked around wildly. "My dad isn't out here, is he?"

Lorcan looked panicked and helped her look, "I don't see him."

She sighed in relief. "Lorcan... um, about what just happened..." She was at a loss for words and didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Thankfully, Lorcan seemed to know what was on her mind. "Don't worry about it, Rose. We both had too much pumpkin juice at dinner," He smiled at her. He didn't seem hurt or angry by her rejection at all. It was like he had just lost control of himself, like she had. They were just friends, and teenagers learning what all their... "urges" meant. She wished she hadn't thought.

Rose smiled. "Pumpkin juice, right. Thank gosh."

"Are you and Scorpius okay?"

Rose didn't know why she was going to answer his question. Maybe because she had given him her first passionate make-out, she felt a connection to him. Maybe because he was just too good a friend to say no to. She found herself saying, "It would never work. We're too divided."

"Because of the war?"

"I guess,"

"And Scorpius has picked the wrong side..." It wasn't a question, but Rose found herself nodding along.

* * *

><p>Back in the common room, Rose wrote a letter home.<p>

_Dear Mom,_

_How are you doing? Dad's here, as you obviously know. He has a penchant for showing up at the worst moments, but I think I got lucky tonight. I ended up snogging Lorcan undetected. It was an accident, well, I mean... I don't know. It was a one time thing. I don't know why I'm telling you. I guess I need to tell someone since there's no way I'm telling James and Lily will probably turn it into a big deal and Victoire is already on my case about Scorpius... so, I guess that left you. That sounded horrible, I should just throw this letter out and try again in the morning. _

_Maybe this letter will get better with a new paragraph. I don't think I ever told you about Hugo's April Fools joke. He and Albus put something in the pumpkin juice. Everyone's hair turned gold or red (mine obviously turned gold) and there was confetti and lion roars. Obviously no one in Slytherin found the Gryffindor pride prank funny. There's a Quidditch game between them this evening, so I guess they're going to try and get back at the Gryffindors for the joke._

_There, that sounds a bit better, right? Mom... I uh... I really wish you were here. I know school is almost over, so I get to see you soon, but I really miss you. Will you be coming to an Order meeting soon? There hasn't been one in a while... unless they aren't happening in the castle anymore. Just... I really miss you. I think it has to do with this whole... _Scorpius _thing. I think I just want my mom to, you know, do that whole crying thing with. I'm really trying, but every time I see him I want to cry and slap him at the same time. Is that... normal? I love you mom._

_Cheers,_

_Rose_

She sighed and headed to the owlery before anyone could sneak her letter from her. The last person she expected to run into was Scorpius.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, glaring.

"Sending a letter, Weaslette. What are _you_ doing here? Sending a letter? Oh, what a coincidence." He rolled his eyes and turned back to tying his letter to his owl's leg. Rose felt her blood boil. She went over to one of the school owls and glanced over her shoulder at Scorpius.

His bag was at his feet and his shoes were muddy. He was just getting back from somewhere. He'd gone out after dinner. But students weren't allowed out after dinner- the only reason she had gotten out was because dinner was still going on. She'd never found an opportunity to get into his bag, and there it was, open, in front of her.

"I can feel your eyes, Rosie," Scorpius said, nonchalantly, not even sparing a look over his shoulder.

Rose turned away, trying to come up with a plan. She had to get into his bag. She glanced over at the staircase and then back at his bird. She bit her lip, going over it in her head. It could work- as long as he didn't suspect her of tampering with his owl. The stinging jinx made impact with the owl- Rose heard his hoot. Scorpius jumped as the owl took off and followed his spooked owl, with a grunt down the stairs.

"Get back here, you stupid, bloody animal."

He left his bag. There it was- open and unguarded. Rose sent her owl off and dashed over to it. She riffled through his messenger bag- discarded tie, potions book, pen, notebook, hand sanitizer, wallet, library book on Quidditch... Rose felt her heart dropping into her stomach. She had to find _something!_ There had to be... it just couldn't be a regular schoolbag. There was a pack of peanuts and a pouch of slug fangs- potions again- and even a pair of sunglasses. She put them on, hoping they were night vision goggles or something, but they were just regular sunglasses.

He'd be back soon, no doubt, and she hadn't found anything! She searched the lining for a secret compartment. She pulled out the potions book, hoping for a ripped out page hidden in the pages. Nothing. Something sharp cut her finger suddenly. She gasped and wretched her hand out. Her pinky was bleeding. She reached back into the bag, looking for the perpetrator.

The answer was in the form of a beaten up, old metal container. She opened it, finding metallic colored pencils. Why would Scorpius have colored pencils? Fancy ones too... was he an artist? The notebook- she reached for it, like a mad woman. She listened for footsteps but didn't hear him coming. She opened the book, unprepared for what she was going to find.

Scorpius could draw. There were sketches of Hogwarts, the Black Lake, a little girl tying her shoe, a Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch game... herself. Scorpius had drawn her more than anyone. She was in her uniform in some, others she was staring at the lake, in one she was running her fingers through her hair. He even drew her the night she was his nurse. But he wasn't a dirty image, considering how she'd been dressed. Her hair was messy, her blanket thrown over herself haphazardly... her mouth half open and her eyes wide. She looked like a lost, little girl.

She turned the page- suddenly hearing footsteps. But there it was in front of her... five different dragons and the moon. The footsteps were growing closer and she could hear Scorpius muttering angrily. She shoved the book closed and stuffed it into the bag. She was upright just as he came into view.

"What are you still doing here, Weasley?" He said to her. His hair was a mess and he had a few scratch marks on his face. His owl was shaking madly, trying to get free. He pushed past her, and she was relieved he was too concerned with his bird to notice how frazzled she was.

She took off, heading for McGonagall's pensieve. It was the only way she could see the dragons again and really digest what was going on.

"Chocolate frogs," She said quickly, hurrying up the stairs.

"Rose- are you-"

"I need to put a memory in the pensieve." Rose breathed, and McGonagall sprang into action. They extracted the memory together. When it was done, Rose relaxed. It was done. She had seen it and given it to McGonagall to study before she could forget anything.

"Rose... what is this?" The headmistress asked her.

"I saw Scorpius' sketchpad. He... there's a picture with some dragons and the moon. I know the Death Eater ritual has to do with the moon and I've suspected that whatever he sneaks out of the castle to do has to do with dragons. I didn't get a good look because he came back right at that moment, but we can look at it a million times now."

McGonagall smiled at the young girl and nodded. "Shall we?"

Together they emptied the memory into the pensieve and dove in. The owlery took shape around them and Rose heard her own voice in her ears asking Scorpius why he was there. Moments later she was looking through the bag and getting cut by the case. Rose almost felt the cut being recut and looked down at her hand. It was still bleeding. She hoped Scorpius never noticed any blood on the floor. Or if he did, that he couldn't connect it back to her.

His drawings floated past her for a second time. She tried to focus on them, but each page flipped so fast. She saw herself and glanced at McGonagall to see her reaction. She was smiling sadly and Rose wondered what that meant. Finally she saw the dragons- one red, another blue, a third green, another with horns everywhere, and finally, one breathing fire. The moon was full, bright, high in the sky. They didn't get that all in one viewing- it took several trips to the pensieve, but finally McGonagall had a list of all five breeds.

"I must send this to Mr. Potter at once." McGonagall said, heading over to her desk. Rose noticed she was wearing a bath robe and hair had been let out of its customary tight bun.

"What does this means now for us?" Rose asked.

McGonagall sighed, "It means we need a bigger army."

"The dragons would be that disastrous?" Rose asked, taking a seat across the desk.

"They are powerful. I know you've never seen dragons... they aren't as widespread as they once were. If I remember correctly, your Uncle Charlie has been out of a job for over a decade now."

Rose nodded, remembering stories of her Uncle Charlie working with dragons in Romania. He had lost his job years ago when the creatures began becoming scarce. He had moved in with Uncle George and helped run the shop, but his one true love was still dragons. McGonagall continued, "Dragons are a dying breed. For the Death Eaters to have _five..."_

Rose remembered Lorcan's words from earlier that evening. _"It's gorgeous. All the life just bursting forth. Not like here. Everything here is contained- concrete, bricks, electricity... but out there it's just pure life."_

"So... what do we do? Do we look for our own dragons? Or..." Rose trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"It's not our job to decide that," McGonagall said, summoning her patronus.

A silvery cat appeared and the dashed off with the message. Rose watched it leave, feeling like a part of her was with that cat. She shut her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "I hate this."

"It is not the most pleasing situation we could be in," McGonagall agreed, solemnly. She stood up, "I will go talk with Professor Kreyjoy and Professor Longbottom, among others. You may stay here if you like, or return to your common room."

Rose stayed in the chair. McGonagall paused by the steps and turned back. "Rose... Scorpius is a talented artist."

"He is," Rose agreed, easily. It was true. He knew how to blend colors and connect shapes, making art that sparkled with life.

"He seems to have found a very beautiful muse."

"Hmm?" Rose murmured, feeling herself getting tired. She turned to her professor, not really sure what McGonagall was trying to tell her.

"He is very taken with you," She said, bluntly, and smiled. "It's painted all over his face when he sees you and stitched into the safety of his art. I know this war has been hard on you for more than one reason, but it appears young Mr. Malfoy has been going through the same dilemma. He wasn't as lucky as you to be raised by understanding people. Maybe he needs a guide to lead him out of the tunnel." She turned, then, leaving the office and Rose, alone with her thoughts.

_Move toward the darkness  
><em>_Welcome the unknown  
><em>_Face your blackest demons  
><em>_Find your weakest bone  
><em>_Lose your inhibitions  
><em>_Love what once was vile  
><em>_Move toward the darkness and smile  
><em>Move Toward the Darkness, The Addams Family

* * *

><p><strong>AN Reviews are much appreciated and thank you to everyone that reviewed last time. Also, I posted my Dramonie story, which I've finished writing. It's called The Muggle-Pureblood Relations Program and I happen to be very proud of it. So if you're interested in seeing Draco and Hermione muddle through their feelings for each other on tv, I'd be very excited and thankful if you read it. **


	19. The Winner Takes It All

Chapter Nineteen: The Winner Takes It All_  
><em>

_April 30_

The "Ministry" was back at Hogwarts. Apparently, the "danger" had been mitigated and they needed to continue with their "strengthening" of the castle's wards. McGonagall was powerless to keep them out and Ron had been forced to hide out in her office. He had finally caught onto a weak spot near Ravenclaw Tower, but had been stopped before he could figure out what had been tampered with.

Rose sat at the Gryffindor table after class with the others. James was hunched over, "I don't like this."

"Doesn't it feel like something is going to happen?" Lily asked, glancing between the group and two Ministry officials guarding the doors. Random students were being frisked. Rose knew none of them were searching for anything- they were probably planting something. It put her on edge...

Scorpius nodded at someone as he walked in. Of course he knew them. It confirmed whatever sliver of doubt had existed in her mind that maybe they _were_ actual Ministry officials. She turned away from him. They hadn't really spoken since the night in the owlery. Rose was afraid he'd figure out she'd been in his bag and seen his personal drawings if she dared talk to him. He always knew stuff about her he wasn't supposed to.

"Rose," a first year Slytherin said. Rose turned, taking the note from the kid with a nod. It was from Uncle Neville, summoning her to a meeting as soon as possible.

She stood, "Gotta go. We'll talk later."

They called goodbyes to her as she dashed out. She eyed the two guys at the door, but they didn't stop her. She left the castle, heading down to the greenhouse. Uncle Neville had been on a visit to Durmstrang, she knew. He was supposed to have gotten back last night. It was an Order trip- trying to gather up allies.

The greenhouse was humid. She groaned, hating the heat, and called out, "Uncle Neville?"

"Rose, over here." She followed his voice, winding in and out of the rows of plants. He was on the other side of the glass structure, busily scribbling something onto a clipboard with a quill. He'd look up a few times, at a beautiful red flower, and then back down at his notes. When he was done, he looked at Rose and they embraced in greeting.

"How was the trip?" She asked.

He smiled, "Successful. But while I was there- I did some poking in their library... and I found this." He pulled out a page from his pocket and gave it to her.

She took it, her eyebrows creased in confusion. "Read it," He prodded, and Rose looked down at the page in her hand.

Luna Oculus, _the Eye of the Moon, was created to undo or prevent the effects of a ritual that harnesses the moon's light once it has reached the highest point in the sky. The ritual must have six people form a circle around an urn full of ashes. The six chant in Latin and the moon's power will restore the ashes to their former life. However, if the mirror is used, it must be placed in front of the urn and the moon's light will go through the mirror, destroying the ashes and preventing the ritual from ever being used on that person. The mirror was said to have been placed in a powerful enchantment and only the one destined to unleash its power will be able to free it from its bonds. _

Rose looked up, her mouth wide. "Thank you so much. But what do we do now?"

Uncle Neville shrugged, "We find 'The Chosen One?'"

Rose faked puking. "The Chosen One. I'm so tired of hearing stuff like that."

"I know. Seems like we've been surrounded by that phrase."

"Really, thanks Uncle Neville. I never would have been able to do this without you."

"Go save the world, Rose."

* * *

><p>The common room was empty. With spring being so beautiful, Rose couldn't blame them all for being outside. She wanted to be to, but she needed to be alone to figure out what she knew. She went over everything in her head, piecing it all together. She laid back on the couch and stared up at ceiling. She was thankful she had changed out of her stiflingly hot uniform, into a t-shirt and jeans. The dungeon was always a tad cooler than everywhere else and it worked to their advantage in the warmer months of the year.<p>

Suddenly, the images of herself in Scorpius' sketchbook came back to her. No, no... she was meant to be thinking or dragons and mirrors and war! Not the way Scorpius added so much detail to her hair, making it a bright ginger and adding so many waves. Not the way he made her eyes so round and bright. Her eyes weren't _really_ that big. It wasn't possible. She tried to push it out of her head, but couldn't. He also gave her a sizable amount of cleavage and she blushed at the memory.

And then suddenly he was walking into the common room in his uniform. How was he still wearing that many clothes? And long sleeves? Wasn't he dying? Literally the entire school had changed out of their uncomfortable uniforms as soon as classes ended- Rose included.

Scorpius stopped short when he saw her. His eyes widened and he ran his hand through his hair. They hadn't spoken in awhile. It was strange to find themselves alone in the common room. Just a few months ago, they would have said hello to each other... maybe had a brief conversation. She could remember days like that. Maybe Scorpius was having a flashback too.

Did he miss her the way she missed him?

She cleared her throat, "Hey,"

He seemed surprised that she was talking to him. She watched as it looked like he was having an internal battle with himself as to whether he should stay and talk to her. Finally, he said, "Afternoon."

"What are you doing inside?" She asked, sitting up, and crossing her legs under herself.

He grinned, "I could ask you the same thing," He walked over to her and dropped his bag on the floor, sitting next to her.

This was good. It felt normal. Maybe they could steal a normal moment just this once. They'd stolen normal moments before. She looked at him, taking in everything about him.

"I needed a moment to myself," She said, as honestly as she could. _A moment to think about everything I know about you, and the Death Eaters, oh and the _dragons!

He nodded and dropped his head onto the back of the couch, "It's crazy out there."

She didn't know where he had been. Everyone was outside flying on their brooms or playing chess. Some of the girls had an enchanted jump rope. There was nothing crazy about the whole student body having fun. But maybe Scorpius wasn't used to fun. Perhaps he didn't grow up running around outside with his friends.

_Maybe he needs a guide to lead him out of the tunnel._

He looked so peaceful and not evil lying back on the couch with his eyes closed. He could have been an angel. He cracked open one eye. She jumped back and he smiled brightly at her. He leaned forward, seeming rejuvenated from his ten second power nap and her ogling.

"Rosie, have you ever gone skydiving?"

His question caught her off-guard. "W-what?"

"It's a muggle thing. We learned it in Muggle Studies. It's when you jump out of a plane with a-"

"Yeah, yeah," She cut him off. "I know what skydiving is. Why?"

"Have you been?" He asked, and for a moment Rose thought he looked like an excited five year old on Christmas morning.

"You need to be eighteen. So, no."

"But would you?" He pressed.

She shrugged, "I don't know." She smiled at the absurdity of it all and felt herself beginning to laugh, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm gonna go one day."

Her eyes widened, "_You_, Scorpius Malfoy, a pure-blood, are going to experience a _Muggle_ thrill-seeking sport? You?"

He grinned at her, "Give me some credit here, Rosie. I'm not all bad. And it sounds really cool."

_I'm not all bad_. How could that be true? He was a Death Eater. But here was, thinking skydiving was cool and not ludicrous or stupid. She didn't know what to make of it all.

"Will you take me, Rosie, dear?" He asked her, blinking his eyes at her rapidly and puckering his lips.

She felt herself laughing again. He was acting so ridiculous. It was like he had forgotten who he was and what was expected of him. He was being himself and Rose wished this moment could have lasted forever. It could have if this war had never started. This could have been their life. Everything seemed so easy with Scorpius.

She didn't realize it, but her head was on his shoulder. There was a pain in her side from laughing and his shoulder felt nice. It wasn't pointy or uncomfortable. She wanted to lie there forever. They stopped laughing, realizing their position and mutual alliances. But she didn't move and Scorpius didn't push her off.

She wondered what he was thinking. She knew he was a Death Eater, but he didn't know she was an Order member.

"Rose..." He began, slowly. It was like he was working up the courage to say whatever he wanted to. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind, weighing all the pros and cons as to whether he should say whatever he clearly wanted too. "You and Lorcan..."

"No," She said, softly.

She felt his body relax. It was weird, but it felt right. They were quiet after that.

"I'm sorry about-" He stopped. She looked up at him, and he reached out for her hand, like he hadn't wanted her to pull away.

"What...?" She trailed off, hoping he'd pipe up.

"I didn't have anything to do with whatever my father did to you at the Manor." He said the words quickly, like he was going to regret having said them. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to bring that night up. She bit her lip and looked down. She hadn't forgotten that night- well, she had because of the spell, but she hadn't forgotten that she had forgotten that night.

"Why are you telling me this?" She remembered spying on him and overhearing his conversation with his dad. They'd talked about her.

_"Does she remember?"_

_"No, you saw to that."_

_"It's better this way,"_

_"You didn't want her to remember so she couldn't go blabbing to the Order about what she'd seen or what had happened. Not so she wouldn't remember whatever shit Avery did to her." _

_"Nevertheless, what's done is done. Are you two still... apart?"_

_"That's none of your concern." _

She took in a deep breath, gathering her courage to look at him. His green eyes were staring at her and he raised his spare hand to push her hair behind her ear. "Rose... I have been tormented by that night. All I see is that git Avery and his hands on-"

"Stop." She begged, "I can't... it doesn't help to try think about what might have happened."

He squeezed her hand. "If I ever get the chance to- and my dad. Merlin, Rose, do you even know how crazy you make me?"

"W-what?"

"All I do, eat, sleep, dream- _everything_ comes back to you. I think about you all day long. When you don't talk to me, I figure out ways to bait you into yelling at me. That night you disappeared... I was a mad man, Rose. Seeing you in that hospital bed and hearing what had happened... I was ready to kill Avery. And my dad. And that night in the common room when you helped me... Rose, I think about you all the time."

She hadn't expected any of that. She wasn't _ready_ for all of that. Her heart was pounding and she was trying to find the appropriate words but there didn't seem like any. She didn't think after that. She leaned up a few inches and met his lips with hers.

Scorpius didn't need anymore permission. He pulled her against him and they fell back on the couch, Rose back to her lying down position before he'd shown up. The last thing she had expected was to end up snogging Scorpius Malfoy in the common room.

His lips moved expertly over hers. Her whole body tingled. His hands were on her hips, kneading circles onto her. His hair was soft and it flowed through her fingers easily. She never wanted to stop kissing him. It was magical. Everything faded away and it was just them. Every part of them was tangled up. He felt heavy on top of her, but she didn't care. It felt so damn good. She didn't know where she ended and he began.

When she needed to breath, Scorpius pulled away, his lips going down her face. He nipped at her ear and she sighed in pleasure as he moved down her neck. Her hands danced across his back and she ripped his uniform cloak from his body. He was still in the white long sleeved dress shirt. She felt his teeth digging into her in pleasurable waves and couldn't stop from moaning softly.

Scorpius' immediately looked up at her with a smoldering look on his face. She wanted more of him. She grabbed his neck and pulled him back down to her. They kissed passionately and Rose reached down to get his blasted tie off. His hands pushed up the hem of her shirt and his fingers touched her bare flesh. His fingers were chaffed and it felt oh, so tantalizingly good.

Nothing felt wrong. People should have just made out all day long and the world would have no problems. She pulled his tie free and took her own trip down his neck. His skin was soft and it was foreign to her, but she enjoyed every moment. She didn't know if she was doing it right, but Scorpius groaned and it gave her the confidence she needed. His hands were in her hair and the slight tug he gave her red hair made it all the more exciting.

She wanted to be closer to him. She wrapped her legs around his middle and their lips fused together again. It was perfect. She was practically floating. His hands moved over her back and stopped at her waist. She felt the question he was silently asking and cautiously let go of him to lift up her arms. He kissed her lips briefly, chastely. She knew she was doing the right thing, then.

He pulled her shirt up and tossed it over the couch. He looked at her and Rose felt her cheeks flame. She'd never done this before. No one had ever seen her without a shirt on- besides Lily and Victoire when they went shopping, but this was completely different.

"Rose..." His voice was hoarse, "You're... beautiful," She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it hadn't been that. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her again. His hands splayed across her back. She wasn't sure if he was going to unhook her bra, and she didn't know if she was going to try and stop him if he did.

She sighed against his mouth and he smiled. They sat up a little and he pushed her against the arm rest of the couch. She reached out and began unbuttoning his shirt. If he was going to undress her, she was going to return the favor. He had already moved down to kissing her chest. His lips danced dangerously closer to the valley of her breasts and it took all her concentration to keep unbuttoning his shirt.

She felt a gust of cool air and moaned. The chill brought goosebumps to her skin and Scorpius happily kissed them away. His lips were on every part of her. He moved down to her stomach and back up to the cup of her bra, to her neck, and back to her lips. By this point she had successfully unbuttoned his shirt, but she hadn't been able to get it off of him.

"Scorpius," She whined. He laughed and leaned back, stripping the article off from him easily.

She took him all in. His chest was defined and so were his abs. She ran her fingers over his chest and pulled him down to her by the belt loops of his pants. His arms wrapped around her waist and they kissed again. It felt amazing being this close. She felt whole and protected.

They stopped, resting their foreheads against each other. Slowly, he disentangled his arms from around her and reached up to play with her hair.

That was when she saw it. There it was, seared onto the inside of his wrist.

The Dark Mark.

She tensed, staring at it. She couldn't look away. It pulled all her attention in a second. Scorpius noticed her shift in emotion right away and said, "What-" He stopped, following her line of vision.

It happened all so quickly after that. His face paled and he looked like he had suddenly lost everything that mattered to him in that second. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but he couldn't come up with anything to say, because nothing could be said anymore.

Rose felt dirty. Violated. Betrayed. Lost.

It all fell away in that moment. Everything gone. Any chance, finally seeing the truth. Scorpius Malfoy was a Death Eater and she had always known that. But a part of her had hoped- a part of believed... she had known the kid since he was eleven. She had to hope that part of that eleven year old kid still existed. But he was gone.

There would be no more stolen normal moments. Scorpius Malfoy had picked his side. She'd heard it so many times - "maybe he hadn't." The proof was in front of her now. He had picked his side. And even though she thought she had picked hers, she was picking it now.

She was, finally, all in. "Get. Off."

_I've played all my cards  
><em>_And that's what you've done too  
><em>_Nothing more to say  
><em>_No more ace to play  
><em>The Winner Takes it All, ABBA

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hellloooo! Well, that was a lot, wasn't I? So many feelings and well... yeah. And I can't believe how perfect this song goes with what happens in this chapter. ABBA is too wonderful. I hope you liked it! Fear not, though are not over! We're nearing the end- er, the beginning, since this story began with the end. Does that make sense? Anyway, reviews are much appreciated and thanks to the bunch of you that reviewed last time.**


	20. Uprising

Chapter Twenty: Uprising

_May 4_

Avery corned her after Potions. Thankfully she was with Lorcan, so Avery couldn't pull anything. He was also supposed to be posing as a Ministry official, so there was also that. Lorcan put his arm around her protectively, but Rose still felt exposed and vulnerable. It wasn't fair that he got to hold this power over her, but she was still in the dark about that night and what had happened.

His eyes pierced into her and she wanted to send a jelly-legs jinx his way. It would be worth the detention, but not worth blowing her cover as an Order member. Before she could do much of anything really, she heard Scorpius' voice yelling down the corridor, "Oi! Avery!"

He looked away from her and a part of Rose relaxed. But another part of her grew stiff at Scorpius' arrival. They hadn't spoken since that night. The night they'd gotten half naked and snogged each other senseless.

She remembered his words then, suddenly: _"Rose... I have been tormented by that night. All I see is that git Avery and his hands on-"_

She didn't want him to do anything stupid. He'd already done too many stupid things- such as, getting branded with the Dark Mark like a loyal cow to a slaughter house- to add this to the list.

"What did I tell you about looking at Rose Weasley? For that matter- what did I tell you about looking at any underage girl?" His voice was loud and commanding. She chanced a look at him and saw how serious he was. He looked... dangerous. She remembered his passion- his strength. She had felt it. She didn't want to imagine his anger, if he could do _that_ when he was happy.

Avery's eyes narrowed, "Why don't you go run home to daddy, little Malfoy. You don't control the game, boy, you're just watching it."

There was an audience forming and Rose had a strong premonition this was not going to end well. "Lorcan," She whispered, turning to her friend, "Get McGonagall. Now."

He nodded and sped off without another word. She bit her lip, drawing her wand in case she had to use it.

Scorpius chuckled, it sound more like an evil laugh, but she was going to stick with chuckled. He took a step closer to Avery and said, "Newsflash, I've been playing the game this whole time. And I've won."

Rose felt sick. He couldn't have been insinuating what she thought he was, could he? He couldn't be that cruel. But... he had a Dark Mark. He was capable of anything. She didn't want to believe what happened between them was all a game. It couldn't have been. They'd known each other for years- say what you wanted, but Rose Weasley _knew_ Scorpius Malfoy.

"You haven't won you little, git," Avery carried on, "you haven't won anything. You know why? Because deep down, you're a spineless, coward Scorpius Malfoy, and you know it."

Rose gulped. Scorpius' face was a mask as he stared at Avery, but he finally said, in the softest voice possible, "Stay the hell away from Rose Weasley and every other girl in this school. If you don't, you'll have me to answer to."

"And your father, I presume," Avery muttered.

Scorpius stopped mid-step. He slowly turned back to his "ally" and said, "_What_ did you just say?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Avery smiled condescendingly, "what was that famous Malfoy line? 'Wait until my father hears about this?'"

Scorpius closed the distance between him and the older man in two long strides. In moments Avery was slammed against the stone wall. Scorpius held the other man by his collar and drove him into the wall further. "Don't you _ever_," Scorpius spat, "compare me to my father or any other Malfoy."

He let go of Avery forcibly and turned, striding off. "What's that, Malfoy?" Avery taunted, "Don't like the family name? Or the legacy it comes with? Would you rather be off with you Gryffindor girlfriend and the Potters?"

Scorpius didn't say another word. He kept walking, his cloak billowing behind him, and the crowd of students parted around him like he was Moses and they were the Red Sea. Everyone was silent, staring at each other. Several students turned to Rose, while others looked at Avery.

Her heart was pounding and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to make of the situation. Lorcan showed up with a panting McGonagall moments later. She took his the scene with her strict eyes, lingering on Avery and then spotting Rose. "Get to your next class," She commanded, sending everyone off. She nodded to Rose, silently asking if she was okay. Rose nodded and left the hall with the other students. "Avery," McGonagall's voice said crisply, "With me. Now."

* * *

><p>How did it all become so... jumbled? Why did nothing make sense anymore? What was the truth about Malfoy and when was the war going to end? What about the mirror? Why hadn't she done anything right? Why had she given into Scorpius?<p>

Rose barricaded herself in her room. Of course it wasn't the best plan because she shared her room with half of Slytherin's female population- and most of them were chatty. She was bombarded with questions about Scorpius and their "torrid romance" and Avery. Apparently they were the center of a "love triangle."

Daphne, once again, took it upon herself to defend Rose. "Why don't you go read your pesky romance novels and leave us alone?" They all left, muttering angrily and sending daggers over their shoulders.

When they were alone, Daphne turned to Rose, waiting for the dirt. When Rose didn't say anything, but sigh wearily and lean back, Daphne said, "Well come on, aren't you going to tell your best friend?"

_My best friend is a six way tie between James, Lily, Hugo, Albus, Victoire, and Teddy_, Rose thought. She considered saying it, but she was too tired to deal with Daphne crying or whatever she decided to do.

There was a pecking noise coming from one of the windows. Daphne jumped up, eager, to see what it was. She came back with a tiny owl clutched in her arms. "It's for you," She said, handing the bird off to Rose. She seemed excited, "Is it a love letter from Scorpius?"

Rose jumped as the small bundle of feathers fell onto her lap. The bird hooted indignantly and then looked up at Rose. She recognized the bird right away. It was the one her father had been using since he came to the school to send her "top secret" notes. She untied the string and unrolled the parchment. The bird flew off to the windowsill. She was about to start reading when the bed creaked and Daphne was reading over her shoulder.

Rose hugged the letter to her chest and turned to her house mate with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Daphne asked.

"Go away," Rose said, bluntly.

Daphne scooted down and sat at the foot of her bed. Rose rolled her eyes and looked down at the haphazardly scrawled note. It was her dad's handwriting, all right.

_Rose-_

_I heard what happened in the dungeons. Are you all right? That blasted arse Avery is going to get it. Listen, Rosie, stay away from him _and_ Scorpius Malfoy. The only guy who is going to be telling Avery to stay away from you is me, your father. The man who loves you more than anything in this world, don't you forget it._

_I would come to see you, but alas, I cannot get into the Slytherin common room. If you need me, to cry on or whatever it is girls do when they're upset, I'll be in McGonagall's office sorting this whole thing out with Avery. He's not going to bother you anymore. Also, your brother was furious when he found out. He also cannot get into your common room. _

_Dad_

Rose sighed and crumbled the letter. She closed her eyes and tried to relax on her bed. She gritted her teeth and got up, deciding to go see her dad. She'd been pushing him away this whole time, and while she couldn't be with her mom, her dad _was_ in the castle.

"I'm leaving," She said to Daphne, striding out the dorms and down the steps to the common room. The noise in the common room halted when she entered, but she ignored their questioning gazes and headed over to McGonagall's.

"Rose," Scorpius called after her, stopping her cold. She paused, her body split between running and staying. His hand touched her arm and she spun quickly, wrenching herself free.

"Do not-"

"Yeah, yeah, touch you, I know." He cut her off, with a wave of his hand. "Are you okay? Did that nutter do anything to-"

"Scorpius- sod off." She turned to leave, but he ran in front of her.

"Rose, seriously, I- are... Merlin." He stopped and ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head and murmured, "How did this all get so messed up?"

"When you became a Death Eater," She spat, glaring at him with her arms crossed.

His head snapped up at her and his eyes narrowed as he said, "You don't get to judge me."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. Rose Weasley, you have no idea what it's like to grow up how I did. You grew up in some Muggle hugging, be whoever you want to be, household. I grew up in the Manor. I bet your parents-"

"You don't get to judge me either!" She jumped in, glaring at him. "You chose to be a Death Eater! Maybe you were forced into it, but you could have said no! They came after me- and I said no. I chose my side, so did you."

"You didn't _chose_ your side. You were born into your side, just as I was born into mine. If you had grown up with pure-blood ideals ingrained in your mind, you and I would be on the exact same side." He persisted.

"I would hope I would have had the common sense to think for myself. If I had wanted to go against the Order, I would have. But I don't, because they are right. You can't walk around thinking you're better than anyone. Whats more for a stupid arse reason like your _blood_ is pure. It's called _biology_ and they teach it in Muggle school. Blood is blood!" She yelled, pushing him back. How dare he play the victim! Everyone made choices and everyone has their own circumstances to consider. "You're just too much of a coward to stand up for what is right and so you walk around playing the part to a perfect, little Malfoy."

He looked furious, just as mad as when he had pounded Avery into the wall. She stood her ground against him, finally feeling free for telling him what she really thought. Maybe he would listen, or maybe he wouldn't.

She pushed past him, feeling invigorated. She took deep breaths and didn't look back, leaving Scorpius Malfoy behind. It felt like all ties had been severed, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Exploding orange brownies," Rose told the gargoyle, and it let her through. She hopped on the stairs and enjoyed the ride for once. As she got higher up, she began to hear yelling. She continued up the stairs and she found McGonagall, her father, Kreyjoy, and Uncle Neville standing in front of all the "Ministry officials."

She crept off into the corner, watching.

"When I allowed you into this school," McGonagall was saying, "you swore to uphold the _ethics_ of the Ministry and not harm a single student! You are representatives of the Ministry! This is not how you are- oh lets drop this act." McGonagall sighed, "I know who you really are and what you've been doing in this school and I refuse to play along in hopes of preventing an all out war. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry does not house Death Eaters! Get out of my school and do not ever come back!"

Rose gasped as the Death Eaters looked amongst each other, unsure what to do since their cover had been blown.

Finally one of them stepped forward. He raised his wand and said, "_Ava-_"

"_Expelliarmus!" _Uncle Neville shouted, stepping in front of his old professor. His wand flew into Uncle Neville's hand, while he flew back into a glass cabinet. Shards flew everywhere and Rose flinched.

The war had come to Hogwarts.

_They will not force us,  
><em>_They will stop degrading us,  
><em>_They will not control us,  
><em>_We will be victorious  
><em>Uprising, Muse

* * *

><strong>AN 2CHAPTERS LEFT! Reviews are much appreciated and thank you to everyone who has been reviewing :)**


	21. Light Me Up

Chapter Twenty-One: Light Me Up

_Now_

Rose had never really understood what it meant to have your life flash before your eyes, but she figured that that's what had just happened. She saw Scorpius take small, careful steps towards her. He was glaring at her with his hands clenched, one hand holding his wand. Rose wanted to step back, but she held her ground. Some part of her mind told her that she'd only end up backing into the wall, which was never a good thing.

"You Confunded me," He said. Rose couldn't decide if he was in awe or angry at her. She also didn't know what she was supposed to say back. The last real thing she had said to him was that he was acting like a victim and then she had stormed off to McGonagall's where the Death Eaters attacked. Her dad had grabbed her and pulled her out of the office and sent a Patronus to Harry and the rest of the Order. Within moments both sides had supporters on the grounds and there was a full on war raging around them.

She looked at him. His face was smeared with sweat and dirt. His hair was sticking up in places. His clothes were ripped, covered in dirt and blood. He was staring at her and she tried to imagine what she looked like. Probably horrible. After all, she had rolled in the dirt trying to get away from him and then she had that awful duel with the Death Eaters.

"Do you know anything about a mirror?" She couldn't believe it had come out of her mouth. What had made her ask? And why to _him_? She was trying to beat him and his side and here she was asking for something that could possibly bring his side down.

She watched his reaction. Oh yes, he knew. And then she realized something else.

"You've been looking for it too." She gasped. She could tell by the way he looked at her that she was right. It blew her mind. They had both been looking for the same thing these past few months. And neither of them had found it. ... Right?

"No, I haven't found it," He snapped, like he could read her mind, "If I had, do you think I'd still be at Hogwarts?"

"The mirror is here?" She gasped, watching him with wide eyes. She thought of all the nights she knew he snuck out of the castle. Yes, he could have left whenever he liked. But he kept coming back.

She saw the distaste float across his features. "Yes, it's here. Do you even know anything about it?" He asked, glaring at her again.

"I know that we'll win the war if I find it."

"Not so fast, Rosie," He said, coming closer to her again. "I'm here to return the favor."

"What fav-" She realized just in time that he was about to _Confund _her. She jumped and the spell collided with the wall behind her. She gasped, looking up at him. "You- you... you just..." It was probably stupid, but she had never considered Scorpius a real threat. How could she, when she had lived with him for six years? The scariest thing Scorpius had ever done was hex a poor first year that spilled scorching soup on him during the feast to celebrate Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup. It didn't scare her when he fought Avery or when she saw the Dark Mark on his arm. He had never harmed her, never pointed his wand at her.

And now he walked towards her- actually, it was more like a saunter. He stopped and extended his hand down. She looked wearily at it and then glared up at him. "Tell me why I should take anything from you,"

He smirked, "Because I said I was here to return the favor."

"Yeah and you just tried to-" She stopped short,"You never meant to _Confund_ me." She whispered, watching him. He dropped his smirk and looked at her seriously. If he had meant to, he wouldn't have missed. And he had returned the favor, strictly speaking; he'd just missed. It felt like he was trying to tell her something in the way he stared at her, and the way his fingers twitched.

He finally settled on, "Come on, Weaslette."

She took his hand and he pulled her up. For not the first time, she wished none of this had happened. Or that he had picked the Order. She wanted to kiss him so bad, it hurt. She searched his face for any sign he felt the same way. Or that he at least wouldn't really _Confund_ her if she did. He was looking down at her, and she had no idea what he was thinking. He was always so guarded, so intense. For a second she thought that he would lean down.

But then he dropped her hand and started walking away from her. "Lets go find that bloody mirror."

She watched him walk away for moments before following him. They were going to find the mirror... together? And they both needed it for their respective sides? How was this going to work?

Suddenly there was monstrous roar from outside. It was followed by screaming and Rose realized what it was. The dragons Scorpius had trained. She flinched as one of the dragons let out another ferocious growl that probably contained fire. She hoped no one she loved was facing that beast down.

"So Weasley," He said conversationally, like moments ago he wasn't about to- maybe- kiss her or they weren't in the middle of a huge war or that either of them weren't on opposing sides or there weren't dead bodies in the next room or that she wasn't in love with him.

"How much do you know about the mirror?" He asked. She caught up with him and noticed that he knew exactly where he was going. He used his wand as a light and she did the same.

"I know that it's like the wizard version of Excalibur." She smiled at his quizzical reaction. He gritted his teeth and hissed something about Muggles.

"Excalibur is a sword. It was in a stone and could only be pulled out by the person destined to be king. Many people didn't believe and the strongest men went to try and pull it out. But they couldn't. One day, Arthur came along. He wasn't particularly strong and people laughed at him when they saw him attempt to pull out the sword. But he did pull it out. He became king. I read that the mirror can only be pulled out by the 'chosen one.'" Rose explained, following as Scorpius led her down many flights of stairs.

She nearly jumped as she felt his hand taking hers. His only explanation was, "The stairs get steeper,".

"Well, Weaslette," He began sometime after her long story about Arthur and Excalibur. "Someone did find the mirror. Except, that someone couldn't pull it out. So, they moved the plant it was entangled in somewhere no one would ever find it. You don't know the prophecy about the mirror, do you?" He didn't wait for her to reply. Rose watched the side of his face as he spoke, the light from his wand providing a ghostly glow. "Salazar Slytherin created the mirror."

Rose gasped. That couldn't have been possible. He was evil. Why would have made a mirror that could only do good?

Scorpius plowed on, "More accurately, he created the prophecy. Hogwarts was founded years after the mirror, his true nature still hadn't been publicly revealed. So, he fooled some wizards into thinking he wanted to create the most powerful object to fight evil on earth. When the time came to create the enchantment that would bind it to a person, Salazar Slytherin intervened and created a person, so complex, he needed two people.

"He killed all the others and was convinced that the mirror would never be used. He thought he was a genius. A god, almost. After all, he helped create the one thing that could destroy him and also made sure it could never be used."

"Scorpius," Rose cut in, nearly stumbling over a step. She squeezed his hand tighter, "What did it say?"

"Two people," Scorpius said quietly, he sounded like he was in a little trance, "two different people. One, good. Always been good. The other, a horrible, despicable person. Until, they meet and the horrible one is turned by love. Amazing, isn't it? Salazar Slytherin didn't believe in love. He truly thought that the mirror would never see the light of day. Anyway, once these two meet and fall in love, they will rise up with pure hearts and the intent of wiping away all evil- and they will."

He finally finished, and then stopped walking.

"But the book said one person. The Chosen _One,_" She said, rather pathetically.

He turned, looking up at her. "Well obviously, the bloody fool didn't know what he was talking about."

She was standing two steps above him. She was taller. Then she walked down one step, making them the same height. She looked at him, and saw that he was still looking at her. Her heart felt like it was ready to explode. She hoped he had been insinuating in his story what she had thought he was.

He whispered, "_Nox_,"

And then his lips were on hers. She let lose a little moan, more in shock than anything, and kissed him back with all the intensity of the moment. She didn't even know where his hands were, they moved so fast around her body, trying to feel all of her at once. She wrapped one leg around his body, pulling him even closer as her hands frantically tugged at his hair. His arms were strong, they hugged her to him. He groaned against her mouth and then pulled away, breathing quickly. His lips technically never left hers. He was still there, not kissing, but his lips were just resting on hers.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking at her, with such beautiful eyes, she never wanted to leave. His eyes were all she could see because of the darkness. And then she kissed him again. This kiss started off just as wild and passionate as the other, but soon it faded into something softer and sweeter. She realized that he was smiling as he kissed her and she smiled back.

"_Lumos_," She whispered once they'd pulled away. He took her hand and they continued down the winding staircase.

He was who she thought he was. He always was. She remembered McGonagall's words the night they found the sketch pad. He was the man she wanted to believe still existed. The eleven year old boy was there, he just needed strength. Her heart was thundering and she tried to wipe the smile off her face- because they were in the middle of a war, after all. Bust Scorpius had picked her- he'd picked them. He believed in that prophecy and he thought it related to them. He... he loved her.

"Scorpius," She asked, moments later, "Who brought the mirror to Hogwarts?"

"Come on. Think, you'll figure it out." He urged, then added, "Watch your step, this one's pretty steep."

She did watch and kept thinking. The only answer she could come up with was a man she had heard nothing but good things about, who fought valiantly to end, who believed nothing was more powerful than love. Who had helped her parents and Uncle Harry through everything. And the Headmaster who was everywhere in this castle. So when she finally said, "Albus Dumbledore," she knew she was right.

Scorpius' silence confirmed what she had thought. But then something else troubled her, "Why would Dumbledore hide the mirror? Wouldn't he have searched for someone who could pull the mirror out?"

"I think he knew that the right people would find it in due course." Scorpius said, and then they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He put his hands on her waist and then gently carried her off the last step.

That made enough sense to her and then she looked at where they were. They were surrounded by rocks. It was dark, the only light coming from their wands. Scorpius walked to a smooth wall of rock and then took out a pocket knife.

Rose took a step forward, she was about to ask him what he was doing. But then she stopped as he turned to her and gave her his wand. She took it shakily, and then watched as he unbuttoned his cuff. Then he rolled up his arm sleeve, revealing the Mark.

Rose's stomach turned and she felt like fainting again. But then she saw that he was raising the knife to the Mark.

"What are you-" She asked. The voice didn't sound like hers. She had never heard it before. Some bizarre cross between awe and shock. He ignored her and then slashed the Mark in two. Blood oozed from it and then he pushed his arm against the wall. He never winced, never showed any sign of pain.

He turned slowly and looked at her apologetically. The knife was dripping with blood and he looked at her arm. She understood what she had to do and took the knife from him. She cut a small wound with in one even stroke. She winced, but it was over in a second. She copied his movements from before and placed her arm on the rock.

"Blood magic," she said, as the cold rock burned against the inside of her arm. "Nasty little bugger."

And the rock wall split apart. Rose pulled her hand away and stepped back. Scorpius took her hand and led her through. She was amazed as it revealed a smaller room, made of stone, but this one lined with unlit torches. There was the mirror, wrapped in the leaves and vines, providing a dull glow whole room. It almost looked like a pure aura around the object. Rose blindly reached for one of the wands in her pocket, looking at the mirror. After all this time, there it was. She ended up with Scorpius' and shot fire onto each of the torches.

She pulled away from Scorpius and gently took his wrist in her hands. She wasn't the greatest at healing spells, as had already been proven, so instead she ripped a piece of her shirt, enlarged it, then tied it to his forearm. Plus, his wound probably need to be fixed with magic since the Mark probably wasn't go to go quietly. She looked up at him, amazed at how close he had moved to her. He was smiling down at her, his hair falling into his eyes. It was like he had momentarily forgotten where they were. She wanted to stop and kiss him, but they were in a war and pressed for time.

He moved to investigate her wound, but she stopped him. "It's fine. Come on, we're running out of time."

They walked into the room. The mirror was beautiful. As far as Rose could tell, it looked like a mirror from the Victorian era, with a gorgeous diamond encrusted handle. The mirror was silver and the glass was spotless. Like it hadn't been buried in the depths of Hogwarts for years.

Rose looked at Scorpius, who nodded at her. She grasped the handle and in seconds Scorpius' hand covered hers.

"One," He whispered, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Two," She smiled, looking over at him.

He kissed the side of her head and together they counted, "Three,"

A light- so bright, so potent, so powerful- erupted in the room. Rose shut her eyes and turned her head towards Scorpius. He did the same, trying to shield her as best he could. The light was so strong they could still see it behind their closed eyelids. The room's temperature intensified and then in seconds it was over. The light dimmed and the room cooled.

Rose kept her eyes shut until she heard Scorpius chuckling. She cracked one eye and saw Scorpius looking at her. He murmured, "We did it."

At that, she opened both her eyes. She saw that he was right. Their hands were holding the mirror. The plant that had been holding it was now dying, gradually wilting, after years of caging it. She smiled and then started laughing, joining him.

It was unbelievable. She and Scorpius had found the mirror. She and Scorpius had, well, found... each other. And that was the only way they had found the mirror. She couldn't help the way her heart pounded anymore than the way she felt so giddy looking at him. She thought she would have fallen at any moment if he hadn't wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Never, did she ever think, since the moment Uncle Harry told her that he needed her to look after Scorpius Malfoy that day four months ago at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, that they would fall in love and be able to end the war together.

The war.

He seemed to realize this at the same time she did. They detached themselves from each other and Rose handed him back his wand. He took it, in fact he reached for her wand also and immediately turned on their wand lights. She kept the mirror and they silently hurried up the steps, hand in hand.

They were both breathing quickly by the time they reached the top. But the fighting that they could hear going on outside was enough to spur them on.

_By the light of the moon_, the book she had read said. They needed to turn the mirror in the direction of the moon's light.

There were people in the Great Hall. Rose could hear them, fighting. It had to be the Order and other Death Eaters that had shown up when they saw that the ritual hadn't happened. Scorpius looked at her and she looked back at him. Something passed silently between them, although she had no idea what it was.

"We need a plan," He spoke her thoughts. She nodded quickly and choked. She was breathing so fast.

He pulled her into the closest corner and they began thinking. "I have no idea how to use this," He said, his hands on her shoulders, pushing her into the wall, bracing her there.

"I don't know much. From what I read, it said we have to angle the mirror part towards the moon and the back to want to destroy." Rose said.

"What do we want to destroy? The ashes?" Scorpius asked, sounding just as confused as she felt.

"That was my idea." She said, and then realized something. "But the ashes are gone," She whined, throwing her head back against the wall. Scorpius quickly let go of one of her shoulders and cradled her head. He shushed her gently and then asked her what she was talking about.

"When I was fighting with the Death Eaters," She began, trying to think straight. "One second there were six of them and the urn and there only five and the urn was gone."

Scorpius swore under his breath. "What are we going to do?" Rose asked, "Do you have any idea where they could have taken it?"

"Besides somewhere in the Manor?" Scorpius asked, "No."

"We need to find Uncle Harry," Rose decided. "He'll know what to do."

Scorpius didn't object. He grabbed her hand, "Would he be in the Great Hall?"

"I think so." They ran, faster than they ever had before, into the Great Hall. The room was a mess of people, flinging spells back and forth. Rose spotted Uncle Harry immediately and then paled when she saw who he was fighting with. She looked at Scorpius, who had gone even more pale when he saw his dad engaged in combat with Harry Potter.

"Merlin's balls," Scorpius said, which pretty much echoed Rose's own sentiments.

She found her own parents. Her mom was fighting off Bellatrix. A sinking feeling arose in her chest. Last time she saw Bellatrix, she was fighting with James. James had told her to keep going, and she did. He couldn't have been... but then why was Bellatrix fighting with her mom now? James had to have been... she should have stopped. She should have helped James. And now he was probably dead. And she had just run away.

Her vision was beginning to blur with tears as the realization slammed into her. Scorpius turned to look at her. She realized she was shaking and that had to have been what triggered his response. He frantically grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him. "What?" He asked, looking at her with such an intense expression that she realized she couldn't cry. They didn't have time.

"I-I-I think," She whispered, "Bellatrix killed James,"

Scorpius' hands squeezed her shoulders, like he was trying to give her strength. James couldn't be dead, she thought, she would know. She would have felt it. He couldn't have just left the planet without her knowing. Maybe he was just off fighting someone else. Scorpius' eyes bore into her, his lips set in a grim line.

"Come on." He said and then took her hand, pulling her forward.

Moving forward, she found her dad, fighting with Blaise Zabini, not far from where her mother was dueling. She could tell he was frantic and was trying to reach her mom as quickly as he could.

"Father," Scorpius said, coming to a stop in between the pair: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Harry, startled, looked at Rose and her hand that was entwined with Scorpius Malfoy. He opened his mouth and then stopped when he saw that her other hand had the mirror.

"What-" Draco sputtered, and then saw their hands, "What is the meaning of this?"

Scorpius seemed at a loss of words for a moment. He looked down at his hands and then at Rose. He faced his father and said, "This is me, making a choice."

That was the last thing she expected to hear come out of Scorpius' mouth. But she didn't really know what she was expecting to hear him say either, since this whole situation was so strange and it felt unreal.

Draco Malfoy was silent. His eyes bored into his son's. "You once told me," Scorpius began slowly, "That what made Malfoys different from them," He nodded his head in the direction of the Death Eaters, "Was that we know what is expected of us. I've done what's expected of me my whole life. Now I'm doing what I want."

Draco's face softened, "It won't be easy. Are you sure she's worth letting everything go?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Well," Harry broke in, "Looks like we're related now," Draco looked dubiously over at Harry. "Well," Harry amended, "Not yet, anyway."

Rose smiled, "Uncle Harry, how do we use this?" She held up the mirror.

Harry smiled, "Come with me."

Before they did, Scorpius and his dad hugged. "Go," Draco encouraged, and Rose remembered the way Draco had asked Scorpius about his studies that early morning she was spying. He was a father, he did care about his son. In a weird, messed up way, she saw. But he wasn't trying to stop them.

"Uncle Harry," Rose began, was they ran through the hall, "How will we use it? The ashes are gone."

"You think that, do you?" Harry smiled, looking back at the couple. He ducked as a jet of green sparks flew passed them and then they were in the safety of the corridors. They made for the moving staircase and didn't stop to look back and see if they were being pursued.

"Yes." Rose said, "One of the Death Eaters got away from me, with the urn."

Harry didn't say anything until they reached the Gryffindor Common Room. The portrait opened happily as soon as she saw him. The Fat Lady scowled at letting two Slytherins in, but McGonagall had told all the portraits to obey Harry.

"What are we doing here?" Scorpius asked, disdainfully, looking around the room. Harry said nothing, only signaled them forward.

"A Death Eater didn't get away with the urn, Rose." Harry said. He stopped walking and looked at the coffee table surrounded by couches. Sitting there in the common room, Rose saw, was the urn. Looking at it up close, she could see it was made of silver and had a green snake painted on it. "I did," Harry finished.

So many thoughts raced in her mind. _Uncle Harry_? Why didn't he tell her that he was going to be there? Why did he tell her that it was all up to her when he had been there? Oh my gosh, she had hit him with a table!

Harry chuckled as if he had read her mind, "It's okay, Rose. You did a great job."

Scorpius looked at the urn. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He had spent years being told by his father that they were better off now that the Dark Lord was gone. But when those Death Eaters came knocking at the Manor's door, Draco let them in. Now here he was, looking at the ashes he had worked so hard to bring back, and then now he was about to destroy.

Rose squeezed his hand. "I think our best bet is the Astronomy Tower."

Harry nodded, "I do too. Lets go."

Together the three of them headed for the Tower. Harry had the urn, Rose the mirror, and Scorpius made sure that no one was following them. Anyone that made it into the school from the battlefield had to go in the Great Hall and join that battle. No one had made it out.

Once they reached the Tower, the group quickly angled the urn as best they could so that moon shown brightly on it. "Okay," Harry muttered, and nodded.

Rose nervously stood in front the urn. Her tension melted away the second she felt Scorpius behind her. He pressed himself against her and placed his hand on the mirror over hers. Breathing quickly, the pair raised their hands to catch the moon. It looked almost as if they were holding a baseball bat.

Nothing happened.

Rose looked at Harry who shrugged, looking troubled. Rose jumped when she felt Scorpius' lips at her ear. He kissed her gently and then whispered three words that made her knees shake, "I love you,"

She looked at him, no easy feat, since his front was pressed up against her back. She smiled up at him, "I love you, too."

Everything happened quickly after that. The mirror began to shake and glowed, that same bright light that illuminated the room when Rose and Scorpius pulled it free. Rose shut her eyes and turned her body towards Scorpius.

When the light disappeared, where the urn used to be was just smoke. There was also silence. Harry was the first to move. He walked to the edge of the Tower and looked down at the battle. No one was moving. Everyone, no matter which side they were on, was staring up at the Tower. Harry raised his wand and erased the Dark Mark from the sky.

It took seconds for the Order of the Phoenix to rejoice. Harry turned and gestured for Rose and Scorpius to join him. They approached, hands clasped, and looked out at everyone. It struck Rose as that classic scene from _The Lion King_ when Simba was presented to the animal kingdom. She doubted Scorpius had seen it, but her mom had shown it to her many times.

Harry took their joined hands and thrust them into the air. And then the cheering grew.

Rose smiled at Uncle Harry and then at Scorpius. Scorpius smiled at down at her. And then she knew, it would be all be okay.

* * *

><p>When they made it back into the Great Hall, Rose remembered something. "Uncle Harry!" She gasped, turning to look at him. "James...?" She let the question hang there. All Harry did was look down, which was enough to confirm her worst fears. Rose gasped and was thankful that Scorpius was there to support her, literally. He caught her waist as she went down and let her lean against him as the tears fell. He turned her body and crushed her to him, whispering promises of comfort into her ear.<p>

Rose couldn't believe it. James. James Sirius Potter. James, her big brother, in a way. The guy that always had a joke, always had Quidditch on his mind. He was in his last year at Hogwarts. He was, just like Uncle Harry, the definition of a Gryffindor.

"Rose!" It was her mother's voice. Rose picked her head up, but didn't move an inch from Scorpius, nor did he release her. She saw her mother hurrying over to her. Hermione Weasley was covered in dirt and her hair was incredibly puffy. She stopped just short of the pair, and examined them quizzically.

Scorpius let go, allowing Rose to hug her mom tightly. "Mommy," Rose murmured into her mom's shoulder, shaking. "It'll be okay," Hermione said, kissing her daughter's head. It finally hit her, all the fatigue. The day had began normal. She had breakfast, went to class, and then Potions changed everything.

Scorpius looked away when he saw his own father approaching. Harry went off in search of Ginny and his children.

"Granger," Draco Malfoy greeted. Rose pulled away from her mom and took Scorpius' hand, her fateful night at the Manor flashing in her mind. She didn't know if she would ever forgive Draco for what he did, but they would have to coexist since she was madly in love with his son.

"I'm Weasley now." Hermione sneered, eyeing him.

"You'll always be Granger to me," Draco said, looking down at her, as she was pretty short compared to him. Rose felt sick watching the exchange and remembered the way Draco had touched her cheek. She wondered not for the the first time how he truly felt about her mom.

Ron Weasley appeared moments after, stepping in front of Hermione. He was glowering at Draco, who, in response, smirked back lazily. "Malfoy," He greeted, "Shove off."

"Tsk, tsk, Weasley. In case you missed it, our kids are in love. Better watch your attitude. We're gonna be in-laws one day. Just think, Christmas, our grandkids' birthdays..." Draco smirked as Ron's ears turned red in anger.

Instead of exploding at Draco, Ron turned to his daughter. His face turned livid when he saw his daughter holding hands with Scorpius. "Rose Weasley-" Ron began, but stopped when Hermione placed her hand on his arm.

"Ronald," She said, "Not here. And you didn't see them when they were at the top of the Tower."

"Dad... just..." Rose faltered, she looked down at her feet. Scorpius squeezed her hand but said nothing.

She looked around, and found Uncle Harry hugging Aunt Ginny, Albus, and Lily. Her heart broke. James was gone. It was just the four of them now. She looked for her own brother and when she couldn't find him, looked at her parents.

"He was rushed to St. Mungo's. He um... he was... well, remember Uncle Bill?" For the umpteenth time, Rose's vision blurred and she was thankful Scorpius was there. "We're on our way now. Rose, did you want to come?"

Ron gaped at Hermione. "Of course she does! It's her brother."

Hermione glared at Ron, "We'd understand if you're not ready. It won't be easy to see him. And..." She looked at Scorpius. "Well, Scorpius, you're welcome to come if you want, but I'm sure you must have your own family to be with." She looked at Draco and stomped on Ron's foot when he opened his mouth to say something.

"No, no," Rose began shakily, "I'll come." She looked at Scorpius, who looked at his father. Draco and Scorpius communicated silently, before Scorpius said that he'd see Rose later. He kissed her gently and then he and his father left the Weasley family alone.

The three of them made their way to the Potters. Everyone took turns embracing and then exchanged the news. Harry and the Potters agreed to meet the Weasleys at St. Mungo's as soon as they could.

Reaching the Apparation point, the Weasleys hurried to St. Mungo's. Once they were there, the family was directed to Hugo's room where they were told he was stable and had good odds of making it.

_Do you have a light?  
><em>_Can you make me feel alright?  
><em>_There's plenty of light to go around  
><em>_Do you think its right when you hit me to the ground?  
><em>_Well, light me up when I'm down  
><em>Light Me Up, The Pretty Reckless

* * *

><p><strong>AN Well then, yes, that was the big finale. Besides the last chapter, anyway, but the war has ended :D The mirror and the ashes and Rose and Scorpius! I hope you liked it and it was everything you hoped it would be. Reviews are appreciated. We're reaching the end now and each one means so much. Cheers, guys :D**


	22. All In

Chapter Twenty-Two: All In

_Now_

Burying James into the ground was the hardest thing Rose ever had to do. She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop her pounding heart. If she felt this bad, she couldn't imagine how Uncle Harry or Aunt Ginny must feel. She was sandwiched between Albus and Lily, who had been holding her hands and crying with her.

James had been like her older brother. James had been everything to her. James was her rock, her confidant, her partner in crime. They had spent so many afternoons together. Sometimes they would pretend James was a dragon and she was the wrangler and he would piggy back her around the yard. Other times they would steal all the cutlery from the kitchen. Preferably on days when either one of their parents were preparing a big feast.

How could James be gone? How was the world still spinning when James was lying in a wooden box, not moving, not laughing? Cold and pale... lifeless. The thought made her cry harder and she felt Albus squeeze her hand.

"Now, Rose Weasley has a few words to say..."

Rose's head snapped up. She did? She looked around and her eyes landed on Uncle Harry. Of course he did it. Say a few words? She could barely breath properly. She quickly rubbed her eyes and took the tissue that Lily handed her to blow her nose.

"James was... is... was..." She sighed and looked down. "There was one day when I fell down some stairs. Actually, I was pushed down the stairs." Rose felt herself smiling, despite the situation. She looked up and her eyes found Scorpius, standing awkwardly in a corner in the back. He smiled at her.

"It was second year. And_ someone _pushed me. James, luckily, had been standing at the bottom and he caught me before I could do too much damage and then he proceeded to hex Scorpius Malfoy until Professor Longbottom came and regretfully gave James detention."

People laughed and Rose couldn't helping joining in. She saw that Scorpius was smiling and rubbing his arm awkwardly. "James was always doing stuff like that for me. He always had my back. He was- _is_ my best friend. I always thought of James as my big brother. Whenever something was wrong, he was always the first person I'd go to.

"The last time I saw James..." Rose stopped short. Her body shook and she shut her eyes tightly. "The last time I saw James was when I... I was... it was the middle of the war. He... he... told me to keep going. He had been fighting with... he didn't ask me to stop and help him. He told me to keep going...

"James... there are no words to describe James. James was special, one of a kind. He's irreplaceable. James was my everything. So I guess all that's left to say is... mischief managed."

* * *

><p>Rose decided that she was having a crappy day. From the funeral of James to her brother at the hospital. When she arrived, she found Hugo asleep asleep in his bed. His scarred side was on the pillow and the sun cast a glow over him. For a moment, Rose was struck with a feeling like nothing had changed. Hugo looked like nothing was wrong. In fact, he looked like an angel.<p>

She sighed and leaned against the foot of his hospital bed and then took a seat. She closed her eyes, thankful for a few moments alone. She was still in her black dress and combat boots, her red hair a mess from how many times she ran her hands through it at the funeral. She had hugged everyone there, including Shailene whose eyes had been puffy, and was ready to be left alone.

"Rose?"

The voice was soft, but Rose heard it. She opened her eyes, finding her broken brother looking at her. She waved casually, "Hey there. How are ya feelin'?"

"Like I got bit by a wolf," He answered, and groaned as he moved. His arm had been mutilated, the doctors said, the skin completely torn. "The funeral was today," He said, seeing her dress.

She nodded, "Lots of crying, as you might have expected."

"Merlin... it's not fair. I miss..."

"I know. I don't know what to do now."

Hugo nodded and turned to look out the window in his room. He shook his head, "And now I'm going to become a wolf. James is dead, you're in love with Scorpius Malfoy, and I'm a bloody _werewolf_."

"Hugo-"

"It's all too messed up," He muttered.

"Scorpius isn't so bad..." She tried, seeing as she couldn't fix the other two.

Hugo cracked a smile, but quickly wiped it away. "Is anyone else coming?"

"The others said they'd come after dinner. Mom and Dad are coming too, they're just with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny a bit longer. Grandma and all of them are coming, too. Except Uncle Charlie, he's back in Romania working with the dragons Scorpius trained for the war."

"Speaking of your boyfriend..." Hugo let the question hang, rolling his eyes.

"He... uh," Rose started, looking down, "He doesn't want to come without your permission."

"My _permission?_ Since when does-"

"I know, I know. I said the same thing, but he really wants you to like him. He's actually nervous about the whole, meet the family thing," Rose said, blushing.

"And when are you meeting the family?" Hugo asked her. "Isn't it weird going back to the Manor after... Draco like abducted you... how do you get over... he took your memory!"

"I'm not over it," She assured her brother, "I just... I need to separate the two. Draco came around to the idea of us being together kinda quickly. So maybe just like Scorpius was playing a part, maybe Draco was just doing what was expected of him too."

_Maybe he needs a guide to lead him out of the tunnel._

Hugo didn't seem convinced, but he dropped the subject. Rose closed her eyes again as her brother tried to get some more rest. When she opened her eyes, her parents were in the room, talking softly to each other.

"I don't like him, 'Mione." She heard her dad say. She sat up, but neither of her parents noticed.

"It doesn't matter if _you_ don't like him. It's _their_ relationship. They pulled that mirror out, you need to genuinely be in love to do that, Ronald, and _they did it_."

"But it's... _Malfoy,"_ Her dad shuddered, "Did it really have to be him? Couldn't she have picked some other Slytherin boy? I already accepted her in Slytherin, I didn't plan on accepting Malfoy too. Is she trying to send me into an early grave?"

"Ron, it's not the end of the world. At least we know that what they have is real."

"Because they pulled out a mirror?"

"Do not minimize this. You and I both know what a big deal that was."

"Yeah, yeah. Merlin's beard, did he really call the house before?"

Scorpius used a telephone? Did he even have one? And where did he learn how to- Muggle Studies. Skydiving and using a telephone. Muggle Studies has taught him so much, Rose mused.

"Yes, Ronald. He did. He sounded nervous, but he did anyway. I told him he was welcome at the hospital."

"'Mione, _why?_ He's going to be around all the time, could we not just have a few more days to ourselves before I start walking in on them snogging all the ti- oh my gosh. They share a common room. What's going to happen when they go back to school? No- this can't happen. They're going to-"

"All do respect, Mr. Weasley," Scorpius' voice suddenly cut in, "we've shared a common room for six years. In fourth year, I saw Rose in a towel-"

Rose threw a spare pillow at his head. "What he means is," Rose quickly cut in, glaring at her boyfriend in the doorway and then turning to her sputtering father, "is... it's nothing new. We've uh... been cohabiting for years now, along with everyone other Slytherin, so we're... used to it?" She finished lamely.

Her father opened his mouth to say something, but Hugo groaned and his uninjured arm reached for the button to call the nurse.

"Hugo, what's wrong, love?" Her mom dashed forward.

"My arm... hurts," Hugo muttered.

"Ronald, get the doctor," Hermione commanded, and Ron left the room without protest.

Scorpius came over to her, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see how you're doing."

She hugged him, "I'm glad you're here, but did you _have_ to tell him about the towel incident?"

He chuckled and leaned down so her mom wouldn't hear, "Six years of foreplay, Rosie."

She slapped his chest, "Shut up."

"Seventh year is gonna be fun." He murmured, "So how is your brother? Is he..."

"They said he'll be okay, but I mean, he is a werewolf now, so there's that." Rose told him, sparing a look at her brother who was moaning and fussing on the bed. "How is your family and... everything? Have the Death Eaters left you alone? Is your family being put on trial?"

"It helps that I'm one half of the duo that ended the war," He told her, smiling grimly, "The Ministry is considering that part in the larger equation of how to punish my family. We'll see."

She glanced at his bandaged arm, "And that? How are they removing it?"

He winced, "Still running tests. Hopefully they'll know something soon: it hurts,"

"This is all so bizarre," She whispered, "I can't believe we're standing here... together and accepted."

"We're not fully accepted," Scorpius said, with a grin as her dad came back into the room with a nurse.

"We will be." She smiled at him, "Victoire wants to talk to you, by the way. Something about strong feelings and mysterious looks, I don't know. Do you have any friends I should be meeting?"

"Not any that I like," He told her, rolling his eyes. "Who needs friends?"

She shoved him gently, "Fine, I'll share mine."

"Oh, gross," He mocked, "I don't want Daphne and Oberon. By the way, tell him to get his giant, oversized hands off you."

She grinned and sat back down in her seat. Scorpius sat on the windowsill and stared at Hugo. Rose watched him watching her brother and sighed in happiness. Scorpius was going to try and eventually everyone would get over what his last name was.

Lily and Albus walked in, talking amongst themselves. They paused at the door and Lily's eyes immediately found Scorpius. Rose watched her do a once over and rolled her eyes, smiling. Lily turned to Rose and smiled, before walking over. "Hello there, Slytherin."

Rose's mouth dropped and she glared playfully, "Gryffindor."

Albus joined in, "How cozy are those dungeons?"

"About as cozy as your lion's arse." Scorpius shot back. Rose, Albus, and Lily turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. He looked at them and said, "Did I not understand the game?"

Albus cracked a smile first, "You might not be so bad, Malfoy."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Because he said 'lion's arse?' Geez, Al, you forgive easily."

Albus chuckled, "I'm easy to please." But the smile slipped away and his eyes clouded over as he went on, "I'm willing to give him a chance, remember James said... you know... that..."

"'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one... just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'" Lily cut in, saving her brother from mumbling the whole quote.

"Yeah," Albus said, "From that stupid book that he always loved. What was it... The Great something-"

"The Great Gatsby," Lily told him, rolling her eyes.

"James loved The Great Gatsby?" Rose asked, "I've never heard him quote it."

"He never really told anyone. I found the book in his bag third year," Lily explained, "and asked him why he had it. He said Aunt Hermione gave it to him for his birthday and it was really good. I think only me and Albus knew about it."

Rose nodded. The last thing she expected was to learn something new about James at this point. She smiled sadly and then turned to look at Scorpius. He was looking at them oddly and then finally asked, "What's a Gatsby?"

A week later, Hugo was out of the hospital and a party was being thrown at The Burrow to celebrate his homecoming. Rose finished getting ready with Victoire and Lily, gossiping about their dates. Or lack of, in Lilly's case. "It isn't fair," She pouted, curling her hair, "I want a boyfriend."

"All in good time, little dove," Rose grinned. She turned to Victoire and said, "Did you know Scorpius' mom calls him 'little dove?'"

Victoire smiled, "So cute!"

Lily moaned, "Go die."

"Someone izz jealous," Victoire hummed, falling back into her fake French accent for a moment, skipping around the room to find a pair of shoes she liked.

Lily fell back on the bed, dropping the Muggle curling iron. Victoire turned to her underage friend and performed the required spell easily. Lily smiled as her hair became exactly what she had envisioned.

"Maybe you'll meet someone tonight. Albus' friends will be-"

"I already know Albus' friends," Lily cut in, "they're all weird."

Rose grinned, "Maybe a Muggle? We can go out later... isn't there a secondary school around here somewhere? Maybe there's a dance and Vic can magic our way in."

Lily sat up and was like an excited puppy, "That sounds like fun. Can we, Vic? _Please_?"

Victoire rolled her eyes and shrugged, "Pozzibly,"

"Stop trying to be French," Lily pouted.

"What do you think?" Rose cut in, asking for an opinion on her dress. It was boho in style, something Rose had never really worn before. It was white and stopped mid-thigh and also off shouldered. It wasn't form fitting in the least and she tied it together with a thin band around her head.

"You look like a bohemian princess," Lily smiled, "Scorpius won't know what hit him,"

Rose smiled, "Thank you," She pulled an emerald anklet from her bag and put in on, going barefoot for the evening. She ran her fingers through her hair one more time, before going over to help Lily.

Later in the evening, the guest of honor had made his appearance and was talking with his friends. Victoire was dancing with Teddy, while Rose danced with Scorpius. He had shown up with black jeans- Rose had bought him a pair, finally- and a green dress shirt. They didn't match in the slightest, compared to Victoire and Teddy in a faded blue. Rose's flaming red hair and white dress and Scorpius' green shirt and pale hair, made them an odd pair, but she didn't care. It was a miracle she was dancing with Scoprius in her grandparents house, celebrating her brother being alive.

She waved her hands in the air and smiled at Scorpius who was shuffling back and forth awkwardly. She remembered how easily he had danced with her in the common room after a Quidditch game months ago. This was different now. Somehow, it felt more intimate than grinding in the common room like everyone else had been doing.

He was smiling down at her, too, even though he looked uncomfortable. "We can stop dancing, if you want," She told him, not wanting to make it any worse for him. Tomorrow she would be going to the Manor to meet his parents who were being kept under house arrest by the Ministry until a decision could be made.

He shook his head, "Up to you. Have I told you look beautiful tonight?"

"Yes, you have. Shut up. I'm thirsty." She pulled him through a crowd of people and into the kitchen.

The gentleman as always, he poured her a goblet of pumpkin juice. She thanked him and chugged it happily. She really _had_ been thirsty; all that dancing. She looked over at Scorpius, "Are you having a good time?"

He turned to her and nodded, "It's different. Parties at the Manor are nothing like this."

"Like what?" She asked, her eyebrows pinched together.

"Merry, I guess. It's so warm in here from all the bodies packed together and how happy everyone is. Everything in the Manor is stuffy and put together and forced. This is real and... I'm kind of jealous,"

Rose grinned, taking his hand. "Don't be. After Christmas and New Years at The Burrow, you're gonna be exhausted."

"It's a good problem to have," He told her seriously.

She nodded, "I guess it is. It'll be yours soon,"

He looked at her, "You think?"

"I did say Christmas and New Years, didn't I? And wait till it's someone's birthday." She shivered, playfully, "The horror."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. She could never have imagined kissing Scorpius in the kitchen of the Burrow so easily, but she knew she'd get used to it eventually. Everyone had seemed to forget Scorpius was a Malfoy- a family that they had hated for so long. They were looking past it, and it made her so happy to be a Weasley.

"Oi, no kissing in my kitchen," Uncle George called. Rose pulled away from her boyfriend and glanced at the refrigerator where Uncle George was standing with his hand over his eyes. She laughed, "You don't live here anymore."

"But I did," He countered, "Grew up at that table. Family breakfasts and dinners and such. Don't tarnish those memories with your teenage hormones. Freddie and I planned some good pranks there, once upon a time."

Rose grinned, "See ya later, Uncle George," She took Scorpius' hand and led him back out to the back garden where her friends had gathered.

Lily was there, as were Victoire and Teddy. Hugo and Albus were playing rock, paper, scissors. For a second they looked around. It felt incomplete, because it was.

"Feels weird," Lily whispered.

"Creepy," Teddy added.

"Are we all out here because we're playing Quidditch?" Rose asked, trying to change the subject. It wasn't uncommon for them to all sneak away during a party to play a game in the yard.

"Actually," Hugo stepped in, "we wanted to talk to Scorpius,"

Albus nodded vigorously. Rose looked over at her boyfriend who seemed unfazed. He shrugged, "Shoot."

Hugo went on, "Rose is my sister-"

"Oh, Merlin," Rose muttered, knowing exactly where this was going.

"_And_," Hugo said loudly, glaring at his sister, "We're her best mates. Don't think because you pulled out a mirror that apparently only two people madly in love can, that we're just going to let you into our group that easy."

Teddy rolled his eyes and pulled out a sheet of paper, reading off it, "You spent years being a git to everyone, and not all of us can be bought with pretty eyes and muscles." He stopped reading and turned to Hugo, "Really? This was the best you could come up with?"

Lily cut in, "What are you guys doing?"

Teddy turned to her, "Hugo wrote a script of what we're supposed to say to him," He pointed at Scorpius and then held up his paper, "This was my part."

"I'm right here," Scorpius added.

Hugo turned on Teddy, "I wrote an awesome script! Keep reading!"

"This is so stupid," Lily muttered.

Teddy continued, "If you want to be with Rose, you have to become one of us. We're a lion pack." Teddy snorted, but tried his best to not laugh.

"A _lion_ pack?" Rose asked, studying her brother and two other male friends.

"You do know, the lioness does all the work, right? The guy just sits there and roars. So, if this is you boys roaring, we're going to take over now," Lily told the boys, before turning to Rose and Scorpius. "I'm sorry for their stupidity."

"I'm sorry they exist," Victoire added.

Rose giggled at that and shook her head. "I can't believe this happening."

"Basically, Scorpius Malfoy, we're giving you one chance. And you're not allowed to mess it up, got it?" Lily told him.

Rose turned to glance up at Scorpius, who didn't seem entirely sure what was going on. She couldn't blame him since, apparently, he'd never had real friends. "They do stuff like this a lot," She explained, "Supposedly, it's what people do when they care about you. Eventually they'll be on your side too-" Hugo snorted, interrupting her, "-and you'll get used to their invasive behavior because they do it out of this misplaced sense to protect you."

Scorpius took a deep breath and said to the group, "If being with Rose, means I get you guys, so be it."

"I'll take it," Lily grinned and reached her hand out, "Scorpius Malfoy, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"You do?" Hugo asked with his nose crinkled.

"Get over it, Hugo," Victoire grinned, "He's all in. And so is she."

The End

_And I'm all in, nothing left to hide  
><em>_I'm falling harder than a landslide  
><em>_I spend a week away from you last night  
><em>_And now I'm calling, calling out your name  
><em>_Even if I lose the game, I'm all in  
><em>_I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life  
><em>All In, Lifehouse

* * *

><p><strong>AN The End! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT REVIEWED :) Thank you to all you guys reading right now and to everyone that alerted and favorited. It means a lot. Love you guys so much! I hope you enjoyed the ride. I wanted to write a story about two people being divided by war and having to pick a side, hence the phrase 'all in.' I'm happy with the way it all worked out. Hopefully I'll be hearing from you again. I'm posting a Draco Hermione fic and then I don't know what I'll be working on next. Even if you don't like Draco/Hermione, it'd mean a lot of you still checked it out. There's loads of Harry and Ron in it :)**

**Cheers, guys, and thanks again.**


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